US lawmakers and experts at Congress said in a Tuesday hearing that Washington must not tolerate China's "military coercion" in pursuit of territorial claims in the South and East China Seas, as well as the research and development of sophisticated weapons. They warned Congress that China is challenging US interests in these regions, and called for a tough stance against it.

China always insists on prudence and constraint when dealing with neighboring countries in terms of territorial disputes. Although Chinese military strength is developing fast, there is still a huge gap between China and the US in this respect. However, Uncle Sam already feels insecure about China's rise. Such paranoia is too sensitive.

China's conflicts with its neighbors over territorial claims are not free from constraints. They are impacted by the regional environment, in which every country wants to address these conflicts in a peaceful way instead of by going to war.

Being hyped up by media and public opinion, the situations in East and Southeast Asia are not exactly what we see.

However, external involvement might provoke tensions in this area, and the most likely meddler would be Uncle Sam. Washington usually sees the two-way conflicts between China and its neighbors as one-way assertiveness from China on other countries. It also believes this is how China shows its strength to play the prelude to challenge Washington's global hegemony. US' interference into the regional issues in South and East China Seas takes the risk of triggering an all-out confrontation with China.

As the most powerful country in East and Southeast Asia, China still values development the most, unwilling to be fettered by some maritime disputes. However, China's desire for development is distorted by the US, which is resorting to every possible means to contain China.

China has a firm and legitimate stance on protecting its territorial integrity, but calls for restraint in addressing any territorial conflicts.

In the meantime, it will keep developing its military strength, which is the safeguard for development.

Without strong defense ability, China feels insecure. However, China's growing military strength will also make the US uncomfortable.

The only way to free both nations from the dilemma is to create a new path to a strategic mutual trust through deep cooperation. This idea is shared by Chinese and some in the US. However, there are others in the US who are advocating the outdated way of going against China.

China will keep its pace in self-improvement and make efforts to reduce the strategic distrust with the US. However, with the gap between both countries narrowing, the US, a politically diverse country, will generate more concerns and resistance, even extreme views toward China. How to remove them will be an unprecedented challenge for Washington.