China’s stakes in the South China Sea are well known, so are the disputes it has had with its neighboring countries. Its Premier Wen Jiabao has asserted that no external forces need to be involved in resolving the disputes. That all the concerned parties are sovereign powers, and the disputes should be resolved by them alone, he has said.

The ‘external forces’ here is widely taken to be the US. The Premier was addressing to a regional summit in Bali, which is also being attended by the USA President Barack Obama. The South China Sea is one of the busiest shipping routes. It is important for the oil and gas reserves as well.

The conflict lies in that the other concerned nations want to raise the issue in the summit only. China shares the Sea as well as disputes with Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines and Brunei. These countries are interested in negotiating with China as a bloc, but China wants to deal with them one by one, bilaterally.

While China has recently been more assertive on its rights on the greater area of the Sea, the US would not leave any chance to increase its influence if it gets a chance here. It is to be seen in the coming days how the regional forces play over the dispute. China has made it clear that the issues should be solved through friendly consultations and negotiations between the directly concerned parties.

On the other hand, the US has sought a greater military presence in the region and expressed that the summit provided a good ground to work on nautical security.