In the case of the South China Sea dispute, it manages to seize the conflict as a conduit to engage the region and serves as a counterweight, especially one of conflicting parties in a trustful alliance. In his numerous interviews in the Chinese media last week, State Councilor Yang Jiechi stressed that the US was not a direct party to the disputes and hoped that the US "would not get involved as it promised". He suggested that both countries "stay in close touch" despite the differences.
Diplomatically, the two superpowers shared the views that the maritime conflict should be resolved peacefully through negotiation and consultation. They strongly supported the ongoing process to come up with a code of conduct in the South China Sea. However, from strategic perspectives, Washington has taken Beijing to task by criticising China over land reclamations throughout the first half of this year, stating that it has created tension and destabilised the region.
Vice versa, Beijing continues to stress the two-track approach with Asean, to which both sides agreed. Meanwhile, China has repeatedly reassured Asean leaders that it would not jeopardise freedom of navigation and air-flights in the disputed area, where its major economic lifelines lie.