On August 25, 2025, China's Ministry of Natural Resources Marine Development Strategy Research Institute released a report called the "American" "freedom of navigation" legal assessment report, directly written in Chinese and English, and also sent to the world's major international organizations and embassies.
It is said that China does not intend to tolerate the swallowing of the air, to clear the account on the international stage. The report came out, the Chinese media in the domestic and foreign media, the central TV, the People's Daily all headlines, the foreign joint morning news, Hong Kong 01 also followed the analysis. Why so much silence? because this report hit the bottom of the United States, illuminating their set of "freedom of navigation" is actually the hegemony trick in the legal coat.
Things started on August 13, when the U.S. Navy's destroyer USS Higgins and the Littoral Combat Ship USS Cincinnati broke into the waters around Huangyan Island in China without warning, and even pulled the Philippines to engage in some joint cruise. On the surface, it looks like it is to keep the waterway smooth, but in fact? Everyone knows that this is an old routine for the United States to gain a sense of presence in the South China Sea and stir up the situation.
This is not the first time, since the United States launched the "freedom of navigation program" in 1979, they have provoked the maritime rights and interests of more than 20 countries every year, the South China Sea is a distress zone. The report lists these data, from the U.S. Department of Defense's own report, iron evidence as a mountain. U.S. warships aircraft shake in the South China Sea, nominally challenging "excessive ocean claims", in principle to control energy channels and strategic land.
The weight of this report is not light. It is not empty talk about theory, but compares it with international law one by one. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is the core. The United States has not joined it itself, but it always likes to use the provisions of the Convention. The report points out that the United States refused to ratify the convention because it was afraid of restricting its military operations, but it also required others to abide by it. If this is not a double standard, what is it? For example, the United States interprets the provisions of the Convention on innocent passage through the territorial sea as allowing access to disputed waters at will. The report refuted the decision of the International Court of Justice, saying that this interpretation has no legal basis. It also mentioned concepts created by the United States, such as "international waters" or "high seas corridors." These terms do not exist in international law and are all unilaterally coined by the United States. The report uses facts and lists similar actions by the United States in the Persian Gulf, the Black Sea and other places, proving that their provocations are all strategic opponents, such as Iran, Russia and China.
Why did China issue a global notice in both Chinese and English this time? It's very simple, it's just to grab the right to speak. In the past, the American media always liked to spread the news first, saying that their actions were to safeguard global public interests, and that China responded passively. Now, China directly sends the report to the United Nations and foreign ministries, bypassing Western media filtering and letting the world see the evidence for itself. The report also analyzes the motives of the United States for "freedom of navigation", not only military, but also economic and allied ties.
The South China Sea 5 trillion trade volume every year, and energy transportation accounts for the majority of the world. If the United States wants to control it through its allies, it can hold China, Japan, and South Korea's necks. The data in the report comes from open sources. According to figures from the Congressional Budget Office, the daily operating cost of a US destroyer is millions of dollars, and billions are invested in the South China Sea throughout the year. Some of this money is passed on to Japan, Australia, and the Philippines through arms sales and infrastructure sharing.
The U.S. game, the report is reduced to three characteristics: illegal, irrational and double standards. The law is not because of violating the obligatory rules of the convention, such as unapproved entry into the territorial sea; irrational is because only select strategic sensitive areas, and elsewhere can not be seen; the double mark is because they do not sign the convention, but require others to comply with the convention. For example, the U.S. accuses Iran of setting rules illegal in the Strait of Hormuz, but in Hawaii establishing a military ban zone calls reasonable security measures. This puts everyone feeling ridiculous. The report also cites the U.S. challenge records to the Philippines, Indonesia and other countries, demonstrating that even their allies do not let go, is all to serve hegemony.
When the incident broke out, the international reaction was quite lively. Lianhe Zaobao reported that China's report is a comprehensive legal assessment of the U.S. actions in the South China Sea and directly points to its distortion of the development of international law. Both Hong Kong 01 and mainland media emphasized that the report continues the power logic of gunboat diplomacy and uses military force to pressure other countries. In the Philippines, some people want to promote international arbitration, and the United States supports it and provides legal support. However, the report blocked the mouth in advance and used evidence to counter the narrative that "China does not abide by the rules." ASEAN countries have mixed reactions. Malaysia and Indonesia are more concerned about economic cooperation and do not want to get involved in Sino-US confrontation. China's increase in supply chain investment with ASEAN is to use practical benefits to attract people to avoid the spread of the South China Sea issue.
The U.S. Department of Defence, of course, denied its actions to be illegal and continued to declare it to be in accordance with international law. But their annual report showed that the fiscal year 2023 challenged the 29 claims of 17 countries, China is the focus. Data from the Strategic Position Recognition Program of the South China Sea, 2015 to 2022, the U.S. campaign against the South China Sea Reef 39 times, the frequency increased. The report also mentioned U.S. nuclear submarine activities in the South China Sea, 11 attack submarines, 2 strategic submarines, enhanced targeting. China is not only against maritime surveillance, but also legal, economic and military multi-liners. Expanded law enforcement patrol in the South China Sea, submitted counter-proofs in international courts, and
In the long run, this report releases a signal that China is not only accompanied by the sea, but also competing high on the rule field. In the past, China was more passive defense, and now actively use legal weapons to counteract. International public opinion no longer let the United States a unique, to see the data evidence. The South China Sea game will not be cold in the short term, the United States may attract more allies to multinational cruise, such as Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom. The Philippine mid-term elections, the South China Sea issue is hot but not as important as the people. After Trump came to power, the relationship between the U.S. and the U.S. may be hot, and the tariff war allowed the Philippines to buy the F-16 bubble. Chinese electric car brands such as Abu Dhabi to Manila, the top three
The team of authors of the report includes experts like Chen Xidi who graduated from Tsinghua University Law School and specializes in the law of the sea. Under the guidance of Zhang Haiwen, director of the institute, the report quoted the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the judgment of the International Court of Justice, and even the United States 'own cases to ask why logic does not apply to China. This move is clever and directly smacks the image of the "legal school" in the United States. The global military spending report shows that the United States has a defense budget of 885 billion yuan in 2024, with huge investment in the South China Sea, with allies sharing part of it.
China's strategy is multi-styled. The legal war has intensified, and economic investments have been used to fight for ASEAN's "stand-up neutrality". Indonesia and Malaysia have taken AUKUS from concern to acceptance, but are more concerned about the opportunities of the US-China trade war. Russia turns east, China-Russia maritime cooperation is strengthened. The three-sea joint action, the United States in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Taiwan Sea, China's two aircraft carriers across the second island chain, show offshore capabilities.
The essence of this report is a general ledger settlement. The United States disrupts the South China Sea, not only disputes over islands and reefs, but also serves the Indo-Pacific strategy. The report points out that American freedom of navigation is a military threat to freedom and disturbs maritime order. China has changed the balance of discourse power in the South China Sea through bilingual global announcement. In the next 12 to 24 months, the South China Sea may escalate, but China has changed from a contender for the right to interpret rules to an active party. ASEAN scholars say that no guidelines are better than weak guidelines, emphasizing the importance of consultation mechanism.
The United States is a power under the guise of hegemony. China retaliates with facts and laws. To put it bluntly, it is not used to you. After the world received the notice, the public opinion field changed, and the United States has to think about how to smooth the field. Peace in the South China Sea depends on China and ASEAN to maintain, and countries outside the region should not cause trouble. The impact of this report will continue to ferment, everyone will wait and see.