Double crash a wake-up call for US to rethink its South China Sea policy

The recent crashes of a US Navy aircraft and helicopter in the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other should serve as a serious wakeup call to the United States.

Reportedly, an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet and an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter — both operating from the USS Nimitz strike group — went down during "routine operations". All crew members were rescued and in stable condition while investigations are still ongoing.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular news conference in Beijing on Monday in reply to a question on the incidents, if the US side requests it, China is willing to provide necessary assistance from a humanitarian perspective. But it should be emphasized that the US military aircraft crashed during military exercises in the South China Sea, and these incidents are the result of the assertive military posturing of the United States, which repeatedly deploys its naval assets in provocative "freedom of navigation" operations and joint exercises in the waters.

The US' frequent deployment of warships and aircraft to the South China Sea to show off its military power is the root cause of maritime security issues and undermines regional peace and stability.

The South China Sea remains fundamentally stable. The world sees clearly that freedom of navigation and overflight are not restricted in the region, and the problems are essentially caused by some external parties, which feel no qualms about turning the common home of regional countries into a geopolitical arena for their own narrow ends under the pretext of "freedom of navigation and overflight".

On the US' part, it should reflect on the loss of its aircraft, whether due to operational haste or an overenthusiastic desire to show presence. The US should learn the lesson that its intrusive military presence creates unnecessary risks and fuels tensions, which are a cause of great concern in the region.

The crashes should also send a message to the US' regional proxies — notably the Philippines and others who seek external powers to "balance" China — that an external power whose presence in the region is primarily militaristic and determined by its own narrow strategic interests is not a development partner.

China has consistently emphasized that the South China Sea should not be defined by friction, conflict or confrontation, but by peace, stability and cooperation. China and the ASEAN countries are on course to upgrade the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea into an effective Code of Conduct next year.

In that spirit, Beijing calls upon Washington to reconsider its frequent "freedom of navigation" exercises and military drills and genuinely respect the legitimate rights and concerns of regional countries, rather than treating the South China Sea as a playground for its military.

The South China Sea is one of the world's most important maritime corridors. It deserves and demands to be a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation. Each military mishap in the South China Sea, which almost exclusively involves a US vessel or aircraft, shows the risks of its military footprint in the waters.

The US must recognize that by treating these waters as operational turf rather than as a shared space, it contributes to insecurity rather than reducing it. While Manila should realize that hanging on to the coattails of the US military risks dependency and a narrowing of strategic space. If Manila is serious about pursuing development and regional peace, it should build partnerships from a position of sovereign dignity, not by being a pawn in the US' geopolitical games.

While the two aircraft are lost; let the bigger lesson not be. The South China Sea should not be under the shadow of conflict, but bask in the light of shared development, mutual respect and constructive cooperation.

- Li Yang, China Daily