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Report series on South China Sea reveals external forces' interference in regional affairs

Global Times

By Li Yawei Published: Aug 21, 2025 03:52 PM

External forces' use of the South China Sea issue as a lever to contain China is the root cause of persistent tensions in the region, according to a report series on the truth on the South China Sea globally released on Thursday.

Published in both Chinese and English, the series - released by the Xinhua Institute, a think tank under the Xinhua News Agency - is comprised of three parts.

An expert noted that the highlight of this report series is its systematic report released in the form of a think tank publication, which conducts systematic elaboration based on facts and emphasizes in-depth and systematic interpretation.

One report details China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea with historical evidence.

It notes that 80 years ago, as part of the post-World War II (WWII) international order and global structure, China resumed sovereignty over islands and reefs in the South China Sea in accordance with international legal documents such as the Cairo Declaration and the Potsdam Proclamation, which laid the foundation for the postwar order.

Through extensive data, case studies, and factual evidence, the report elaborates on China's sovereignty over islands and reefs in the South China Sea, drawing on both historical and legal grounds, Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday, adding that the discussion is thoroughly objective and well-substantiated.

Another report states that external forces have launched a great-power competition against China in the so-called Indo-Pacific region, using the South China Sea issue as a lever to contain China. This constitutes the fundamental factor instigating relevant claimant countries such as the Philippines to provoke China and fuel tensions in the South China Sea.

The acts of external forces in smearing and containing China reflect the modern Western strategic outlook centered on the seizure and maintenance of hegemony, according to the report.

Chen noted that by adopting a naming-and-condemning approach, it directly identifies to the international community who the real troublemaker is in the South China Sea.

The report urges the world to recognize US and Western tactics of sowing discord, making threats, and creating divisions over the South China Sea. It calls for upholding regional peace and stability, achieving development and prosperity of all countries, and jointly building the South China Sea into a sea of peace, friendship, and cooperation.

The series offers a relatively complete narrative, comprehensively demonstrating China's contributions to peace and stability in the South China Sea while further clarifying its principled stance, according to Chen.

One of the reports titled "Making the South China Sea a Sea of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation: China's Actions" was first released on World Oceans Day, June 8.

It once again demonstrates China's sincerity in safeguarding regional peace and stability, helps the international community better understand, appreciate, and respect China's position on the South China Sea issue, and carries significant theoretical and practical significance for shaping the future, building consensus, and bridging differences, the expert noted.