China's traditional friendships inside Asia are blossoming despite US attempts to play up disputes in the region

The territorial disputes involving China and some neighboring countries in the Yellow Sea and South China Sea over the past months have to some extent disrupted the otherwise good relations between them. But that does not mean there is something wrong with China's long-cherished foreign policy of developing friendly relations with its neighbors.

Even the high-profile return to Asia of the United States is not expected to erode decades-long friendships between China and other regional members, despite Washington's assertion that it has a stake in China's disputes with Southeast Asian nations,

The good-neighborly and friendly diplomacy embraced by China over the past decades has improved its relations with its neighbors and boosted its status in the Asia-Pacific region and created a good regional environment. Rapid economic growth has helped the country replace the United States as the largest trading partner of Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) and in Southeast Asia, China has accelerated steps toward improving ties with regional countries, especially since the outbreak of the Asian financial crisis in 1997.

The timely and tangible assistance that China gave hard-hit Southeast Asian countries after the crisis deepened their understanding that the country's development offered them opportunities instead of posing a threat. This understanding helped China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) clinch a deal on the establishment of a free trade area (FTA), which was formally launched on Jan 1, 2010. China's participation in the 10-member ASEAN and China (10 plus one), as well as in the ASEAN, China, Japan and the ROK (10 plus three) mechanisms, together with its active involvement in the ASEAN regional forum, has greatly boosted Beijing's influence in the region.

The global financial crisis has had a noticeable influence on the established international pattern, partly indicated by the rise of China and its increased influence on the international stage. In this context, it is understandable that some of China's neighbors keep a vigilant watch on its development.

The return to Asia momentum of the US appears strong, but in reality it is superficial, in essence it is Washington's forced defense of its declining dominance in Asia.

In the eyes of some US politicians and scholars, China's growing influence in East Asia over the past decade - coinciding with the decline in US influence - will break the decades-long balance of power in this region and threaten US interests. These worries have prompted the US administration of Barack Obama to seek a larger presence in East Asia in order to regain its dominance in the region.

At an ASEAN regional forum held in Hanoi, Vietnam in July, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised the South China Sea issue, saying the US has a stake in South Asian nations' disputes with China. But the US has miscalculated if it is attempting to sow discord between China and ASEAN.

After Clinton's remarks, some ASEAN members claimed territorial disputes with China should be resolved on a bilateral basis and no third party should be involved. As neighbors, China and Southeast Asian countries share many common interests. At a US-ASEAN Summit in September, ASEAN countries expressed opposition to listing China as a topic.

China's friendly relations with surrounding countries have been built on a solid basis and now enjoy bright prospects. A typical example is China's ties with India, an emerging nation in South Asia. Ties between the two Asian heavyweights have substantially improved since 2003. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has on many occasions expressed his view that China and India have more opportunities for cooperation than for competition. During Premier Wen Jiabao's recent visit to India, consensus was reached between the two government heads that there is space for both countries to develop and play a bigger role in international affairs.

China has long valued and attached great importance to friendly relations with neighboring countries. But the pursuit of such relations will by no means be made at the sacrifice of its sovereignty.

In fact, it is natural for different countries to have disputes. What matters is that they should not let these disputes block the development of their relations.

China's territorial disputes with neighboring countries have all been left over from history and they should not lie in the way of bilateral ties if no once-for-all solutions can be found for the time being. Any excessive exaggeration of existing disputes, while turning a blind eye to common interests, will only compromise relations.

The author is a senior researcher with the Center for US-China Relations under Tsinghua University.

(China Daily 01/05/2011 page8)