Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies in Hainan province, delivered a speech during the 7th Xiangshan Forum on Oct. 11 in Beijing. [Photo/ People's Daily Online]

The 7th Xiangshan Forum officially opened on Oct. 11 in Beijing, with representatives from China and other nations discussing issues related to international maritime security and crisis management.

The theme for this year’s forum is “building a new type of international relations through security dialogues and cooperation.” Four topics will be discussed at the plenary sessions of the forum: the role of militaries in global governance, responding to new security challenges in the Asia Pacific through cooperation, maritime security cooperation and international terrorist threats and countermeasures.

During the forum, Wu Shicun, president of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies in Hainan province, said that the situation in the South China Sea has entered a relatively peaceful stage. He stressed that China will not accept or recognize the so-called South China Sea arbitration, and will take measures to ensure its rights over the disputed region.

According to Wu, a mechanism to prevent confrontation and manage crises should be established by the U.S. and China. The U.S. should refrain from putting pressure on China through illegal arbitration. In the mean time, relevant countries should initiate a China-ASEAN maritime hotline and a China-ASEAN diplomatic hotline as soon as possible.

“The South China Sea issue has already evolved from a simple island dispute into a more complicated problem. Maritime security defense has also become a challenge for Sino-U.S. relations,” said Zhao Xiaozhuo, a research fellow at the Center for China-U.S. Defense Relations under the PLA Academy of Military Science, during an interview with People’s Daily Online.

“Though Sino-U.S. relations still face many challenges, the two countries have been promoting regional peace and stability, as well as protecting the security of maritime passageways. Thus, the South China Sea situation is under control,” Zhao added.