An Uninvited Guest:The U.S. Involvement In The Negotiations On The Code Of Conduct In The South China Sea Between China And ASEAN

The South China Sea has been China’s inherent territory since ancient times.The rich oil and natural gas resources in the South China Sea also make more and more countries start to scramble for territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea,among which some ASEAN countries,led by the Philippines and Vietnam,are slightly more obvious.To resolve the South China Sea issue,China and ASEAN have started consultations and negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.In addition,ASEAN countries,led by the Philippines and Vietnam,also attract some non-regional powers to get involved in the Code of Conduct negotiation through various means,which makes the South China Sea issue extremely complicated and puts China in a passive position.Among them,the U.S.has the most profound influence on the South China Sea issue.At the "invitation" of some ASEAN countries,the United States is actively involved in the negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.In short,the interest of successive U.S.administrations in the South China Sea has only increased.The United States attaches great importance to the commercial interests in the South China Sea.Every year,a large amount of merchandise trade passes through the South China Sea.In addition,the United States also needs to strengthen its relations with Southeast Asia,so it strongly supports ASEAN in this negotiation to consolidate its relations with some ASEAN countries and maintain its credibility in the ASEAN region.In addition,the United States has always been anxious about the rise of China.The American government wants to restrict China’s development and defend its maritime hegemony in the South China Sea.To avoid being marginalized,so the U.S.mustreserve a place for itself in the South China Sea because it is worried that China will take over its leading role in the Asia-Pacific region.Since the end of the cold war,the United States has gradually increased its attention to the South China Sea issue.From the neutral and non-interventionist attitude towards the South China Sea issue at the end of the cold war to the forceful intervention of the Obama and Trump administrations on the South China Sea issue,it all reflects the growing interest of the U.S.in the South China Sea.The United States’ South China Sea policy has generally gone through three stages: The first stage is to maintain a neutral position.At the end of the cold war,the United States did not pay much attention to the South China Sea issue.The second stage is a gradual shift from neutrality to focus.In 1995,the outbreak of mischief reef incident caused the United States to pay attention to the South China Sea issue.The third stage is forcible intervention.From the Obama administration to the current Trump administration,the U.S.policy on the South China Sea has not changed substantially.It wasn’t until the Obama years that the administration’s policy of getting involved in Code of Conduct negotiations became clear.The U.S.government has launched a series of policies to intervene in the South China Sea.First,the U.S.is aggressively pursuing a "rebalancing" strategy in the Asia-Pacific to maintain its leadership in the region,underscoring a strengthening of U.S.regional rules to constrain China’s sovereignty in the South China Sea.Second,in order to develop the Code of Conduct negotiation process according to its own wills,the United States has to rely on ASEAN to achieve this goal and promote the unification of ASEAN’s internal positions.In addition,the United Statescontinues to push the South China Sea issue toward internationalization.After Trump took office,the U.S.administration continued the previous policy on the South China Sea issue.The Trump administration has increased its military input in the South China Sea,raised the issue of the South China Sea through bilateral and multilateral negotiations,and continuously strengthened its freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.The involvement of the United States in the negotiations has gradually complicated and internationalized the South China Sea issue.ASEAN has started to cooperate with China on the South China Sea issue.The active involvement of the United States in the South China Sea disputes and the joint military exercises with some ASEAN countries in the South China Sea have put China in a passive position on the South China Sea issue.The intervention of the United States has forced China to adjust its negotiating policy accordingly,so that the negotiations can proceed smoothly.So far,the progress of negotiations between China and ASEAN has been smooth.The timing of the end of the talks is unknown,but things are looking good.On this basis,China and ASEAN should work out a code of conduct in the South China Sea as soon as possible.From the beginning to the end,China has not lost its balance,has taken every step in a planned way,actively conducted consultations with ASEAN and actively conducted cooperation with its neighbors in the South China Sea to maintain friendly relations with them.At the same time,we must remain vigilant against non-regional powers led by the United States and we are firmly opposed to the intervention of non-regional powers other than neighboring countries in the South China Sea.