The standoff between China and the Philippines over Huangyan Island is still going on. The Philippines has threatened to internationalize the territorial disputes by bringing international arbitration against China.

Under repeated provocation from Manila, we should avoid rushing into an unprepared battle and try to defeat the provocateur without combat.

The highest form of generalship is to balk the provocateur's plans. Supreme excellence consists in breaking the provocateur's resistance without fighting. The wisdom in The Art of War by ancient strategist Sun Tzu (535-470 BC) actually provides us with a brilliant way to solve the South China Sea issue.

One of the moves we can adopt now is to publish a white paper, in which we can clearly publicize details of the Huangyan Island crisis, the sovereignty issue, and relevant historical facts.

We can clearly state that the territory of the Philippines has been defined by a set of international treaties, none of which incorporated Huangyan Island into Philippine territory. 

The legally binding power of these treaties has been reaffirmed by a series of Philippine laws and treaties. Under these laws, the Philippine government did not raise dissent over the Chinese claims of sovereignty.

Maps published in the Philippines in 1967, 1981 and 1984 all excluded Huangyan Island from the territorial area of the Philippines.

We should also include the Philippine government's official confirmations of China's sovereignty of the Huangyan Island in the white paper.

On February 2, 1990, the Philippine Ambassador to Germany made it clear that Huangyan Island was not within Philippine territory according to data released by the Philippine government.

On October 18, 1994, a Philippine government branch reaffirmed that the territory of the Philippines was defined by the third article of the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which did not include the Huangyan Island as Philippine territory.

The benefits of publishing a white paper on Huangyan Island are multifold. We can make clear and persuasive explanations to the world about the indisputable fact that Huangyan Island belongs to China and our intentions to solve this issue peacefully.

The white paper will also serve as a warning to those countries who openly or secretly covet China's territory.

The authors are Cui Jianwen, a maritime strategy scholar with China National Agricultural Development Group Corporation, Cao Fengwei, a lawyer with Beijing Kaitai Law Firm and Cui Jiandong, a scholar with the PLA. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn