Illustration: Chen Xia/GT

 
According to a report of the Japanese media outlet NHK on Monday, Japan and the EU will jointly hold a seminar next week for coast guard officials from five Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, on how to deal with "gray-zone situations," or situations that fall short of armed attacks. One source from the EU, cited in the report, referred to concerns over China's maritime moves, and emphasized the need for "countries sharing the same values to work together to uphold the rule of law." This reveals that this so-called seminar is merely a manifestation of ideological division and a remnant of Cold War-era tensions that incite regional confrontation. Certain forces are attempting to implant the virus of camp confrontation in the South China Sea.

The true intentions of Japan and the EU are to meddle in the South China Sea disputes despite being external players, in order to impose pressure on China and expand their own influence. 

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the planned joint seminar for some Southeast Asian countries shows that Japan and the EU "wish for nothing more than trouble" in the region. "On the surface, they are trying to 'help'; but they are actually using the so-called values to hijack certain ASEAN member states to take a confrontational attitude toward China," said Song. 

The maneuvers of Japan and the EU will only add complexity to the South China Sea issue and intensify the situation in the region and jeopardize regional peace and stability. 

The so-called "gray-zone situations" rhetoric is essentially a stigmatization of China's legitimate rights protection actions. As a matter of fact, China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea are based on solid historical and legal grounds. China consistently advocates for upholding the rule of international law, respecting freedom of navigation in and overflight in the South China Sea as outlined in the universally recognized principles of international law, including UNCLOS, resolving disputes by peaceful means and exercising self-restraint. Manipulating the term "rule of law" to justify their interference into regional affairs will prove futile for Japan and the EU.

The essence of the convergence between Japan and Europe is the opportunistic interests of geopolitical speculators. Japan seeks to leverage the power of the EU to offset the costs of its "Indo-Pacific Strategy," while the EU attempts to maintain its global discourse power through involvement in the Asia-Pacific region. Their interventions in the South China Sea are driven by self-interest and serve their own agendas at the expense of regional stability.

Certain external forces always position themselves as "teachers," yet they have never truly respected the development aspirations of regional countries. Can Japan and EU's "training packages," aside from empty "rule of law courses" and hollow promises, really provide any substantive help to regional countries?

Regional countries, especially those in Southeast Asia, should remain alert to external powers attempting to stir tensions in the South China Sea and use these nations as pawns. China will strive to maintain peace and stability in the region, and prevent non-regional players from meddling in regional affairs.