On September 26, The New York Times published an opinion piece titled “Blasting Bullhorns and Water Cannons, Chinese Ships Wall Off the Sea.” The article looks into China’s ties with Southeast Asian claimants and its increasingly tense standoff with the US in the South China Sea amid deteriorating relations. In describing China’s position on the current situation in the region, the author quotes Zhou Bo, a retired PLA colonel who is now a senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University and a China Forum expert.

Claimant nations and the US — which conducts regular air and sea patrols in the South China Sea — should accept Beijing’s contention that this is Chinese turf, argued Zhou. “The US should stop or decrease its operations there,” he said. “But since it is impossible, so the danger will grow. A stronger PLA can only be more resolute in defending China’s sovereignty and national interests.” Zhou added that he thought the risk of a conflict between the US was higher in the South China Sea than in the Taiwan Strait.

Read the article here: https://cn.nytimes.com/asia-pacific/20230926/china-sea-philippines-us/