China again has become a target of the blame game as studies suggest that the rapid rise in Chinese military spending and "a greater assertiveness" in its territorial claims will fuel an arms race in the Asia-Pacific region, Western media said Monday, citing a few European reports.

According to new data published Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, six of the 10 biggest importers of defense equipment in the past five years were in the Asia-Pacific region. The International Institute for Strategic Studies said Monday in a new report that Asian military spending as a percentage of GDP has been driven to 1.48 percent, the highest since at least 2010. It said China accounts for 41 percent of regional military spending and China's major arms exports grew by 88 percent in 2011-15, compared to the previous five years. 

It is difficult to tell whether the timing of these reports is to echo Washington's hype about China's military build-up in the South China Sea.

The steep increase in the military spending of Asian and Pacific countries sped up roughly when the US carried out its rebalance to the Asia-Pacific. With 33 percent of global total arms exports, the US was the world's largest arms exporter in the 2011-15 period and it actually benefits heavily from the arms race in the Asia-Pacific.

It's interesting that double standards can be seen everywhere when it comes to the US. While China is fiercely criticized for militarizing the South China Sea after US media hyped allegations of missile deployment on Yongxing Island, the US feels free to send its naval vessels near China's territory in the South China Sea for "freedom of navigation," although even the State Department spokesperson stumbled over questions by AP reporter Mathew Lee regarding these double standards.  

Earlier this month, the Pentagon proposed boosting defense expenditure next year to explicitly counter Russia and China, according to Pentagon chief Ashton Carter. While China is often blamed for the tensions in the South China Sea, it is actually the US behind the volatility in these regional situations.

In a Forbes article, Stephen Harner interestingly described the arms race in Asia as a greyhound race. In this race, dogs behind the lead dog focus on falling behind rather than chasing the rabbit and their speed is actually decided by the leader, which in reality is the US.  

China is not the one to blame for the arms race in the region. To ease the tense nerves of regional countries, the US has to restrain its strategy and ambition. And launching wars at different places in the world is much worse than an arms race.