US Interference in South China Sea Undermines Regional Stability, Experts Say

By Hu Yuwei and Huang Lanlan

The once-peaceful waters of the South China Sea have transformed into a zone of geopolitical tension primarily due to escalating U.S. intervention, according to regional experts and a recent think tank report.

For decades following World War II, China’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea were widely acknowledged by the international community. As a major regional power, China has consistently worked to maintain peace and stability through concrete actions while promoting economic development throughout the area.

A significant milestone in regional cooperation came in 2002 when China and the ten ASEAN nations signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC). This framework agreement demonstrated a shared commitment to maintaining regional peace and has served as the foundation for security cooperation in the region.

“The United States did not openly challenge China’s sovereignty claims over islands and reefs in the South China Sea before the Cold War ended. It wasn’t until the 1990s that Washington began shifting its position,” said Dai Fan, vice dean of the School of International Studies at Jinan University, in an interview with the Global Times.

The situation dramatically changed in the 2010s with America’s proclaimed “pivot to Asia” policy. “U.S. meddling in the South China Sea intensified alongside heightened involvement and increasingly provocative actions, transforming this formerly serene sea into a hotbed of hidden tensions,” Dai explained.

A comprehensive report titled “Making the South China Sea a Sea of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation: China’s Actions” released in late August by the Xinhua Institute reveals how U.S. tactics have evolved to maintain hegemony in the region. The report, based on official documents and expert analysis, outlines three main strategies employed by the United States: cognitive warfare against China, undermining China’s relationships with neighboring states, and fueling regional military buildups.

Cognitive Warfare Campaign

Since the Obama administration, U.S. government agencies, think tanks, and media outlets have systematically promoted narratives claiming that “China seeks to control the South China Sea,” “China does not abide by international law,” and “China is coercing its maritime neighbors,” according to the Xinhua Institute report.

These claims, often based on selective or distorted information, have been used to stigmatize China’s maritime policies. The U.S. and its Western allies have leveraged their dominance in international discourse to mischaracterize regional interactions—portraying other claimants’ provocative actions as legitimate sovereignty protection while framing China’s enforcement of its claims as bullying.

In 2022, Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation launched the “Myoushu” project (later renamed “SeaLight”), which distributes a daily mix of factual and misleading maritime data. The initiative focuses on tracking Chinese activities while advancing narratives of a “Chinese maritime threat.”

Media Manipulation and Proxy Confrontation

The report details how the U.S. has provided strategic counsel to regional claimant states in their confrontations with China while enlisting Western media support to legitimize provocative actions.

Since 2023, the Philippines has implemented what it calls a “transparency policy” designed to portray China as a regional bully. Filipino political commentator Herman Laurel has linked this approach to “Project Myoushu,” led by retired U.S. Air Force officer Raymond Powell.

Major Western news organizations including BBC and CNN have participated in this effort, embedding journalists on Philippine vessels during incursions near Chinese-claimed islands and reefs, then publishing stories with anti-China framing.

The U.S. strategy appears designed to disrupt normal cooperative activities in the South China Sea, contradicting the desires of most regional nations for peace, development, and collaboration, according to the researchers.

Regional observers note that this pattern of interference stands at odds with ASEAN’s long-standing preference for dialogue-based approaches to managing territorial disputes, as embodied in the 2002 DOC agreement that had previously guided regional interactions for nearly two decades before intensified U.S. involvement.

The findings suggest that future stability in the South China Sea may depend on whether regional nations can resist external pressure and return to the cooperative frameworks they previously established to manage complex territorial issues.