We cannot allow China to run rampant in the South China Sea.

Public opinion both within and outside the region reacted positively immediately after the US Senate passed Resolution S.Res 524 (on the evening of August 2nd, local time) reaffirming strong US support for the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) signed between China and ASEAN in 2002.

On August 3rd (Washington time), the administration of President Barack Obama issued its first statement on the South China Sea, in which the US supported ASEAN's recent six-point principles on the South China Sea issue and encouraged ASEAN and China to take steps towards agreeing on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC), creating rules and principles for the peaceful resolution of disputes. Resolution S.Res 524 was co-sponsored by US Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and six other influential US Senators.

Also on August 3rd, Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, a senior member of the House Subcommittee on Asia-Pacific, introduced bill HR6313 to promote the peaceful and cooperative resolution of territorial disputes in the South China Sea and other East Asian waters. Congressman Eni Faleomavaega expressed deep concern about China's excessive and unfounded claims of sovereignty, and therefore urged China to refrain from unilateral actions and immediately engage in negotiations with ASEAN on the Code of Conduct (COC).

U.S. Senator John Kerry.

Not long ago, at a South China Sea conference in Washington, D.C., U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman also expressed concern over China's clear ambition to dominate the South China Sea. He further stated that de-escalating the conflict in the Scarborough Shoal/Huangyan Island area is crucial. In addition, Senator Lieberman emphasized the necessity of the Code of Conduct (COC) in resolving South China Sea disputes in accordance with international law.

Earlier (August 2nd), South Korean news agency Yonhap stated that China's deployment of a large fleet to the South China Sea was an implementation of a "human wave" tactic aimed at strengthening its de facto control over the disputed waters.

Also on August 2nd, the South Korean daily newspaper Economic Daily commented that China's deployment of a large fishing fleet to "cover" the South China Sea is aimed at preventing Vietnamese and Filipino fishermen from practicing their trade.

A recent issue of the Russia & India Report magazine highlighted China's plot to dominate the South China Sea, stating that Beijing is determined to turn almost the entire region into its "backyard." To achieve this, Beijing is testing the reactions of relevant countries by creating tension in the Scarborough Shoal/Huangyan Island area and establishing the so-called "Sansha City." Subsequently, it is using economic power to replace military measures, sowing discord among ASEAN countries, increasing the activity of its naval fleets controlling the South China Sea, and "testing the waters" with the United States…

The Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun and the American website StrategyPage also argue that China is continuously creating "faits accomplis" in the South China Sea to strengthen what it calls evidence for its unreasonable claims.

In a recent issue of Australia's Asia Times, Professor Carl Thayer from the Australian Defence College stated that Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa accurately pointed out that, although no joint communiqué was issued, ASEAN Foreign Ministers had reached a consensus on the basic elements of the Code of Conduct (COC). This is considered an important first step towards ASEAN and China being able to discuss the COC issue in September...

For her part, Chinese scholar Li Linghua (a researcher at the China Ocean Information Center and author of over 90 articles on maritime issues and the law of the sea published in Chinese newspapers) continued to post on the online forum sina.com to propose that "the South China Sea issue must be resolved in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and international law."

In an article dated August 3rd, scholar Li Linghua argued that the South China Sea issue cannot be delayed indefinitely and that China needs to address it proactively and positively, because only through the practical efforts of China and relevant countries can the South China Sea issue be resolved, not by external forces such as the United States.

According to CAND-M