A state-backed think tank has put forward China’s “four core principles” as a constructive framework for addressing disputes in the South China Sea, while blaming regional tensions on external actors who fuel rival claimants’ actions and weaken the “willingness for maritime cooperation”.
“China has long been committed to managing tensions and differences with disputing parties, and exercising great restraint in disputes”, Xinhua Institute, a think tank affiliated with state news agency Xinhua,…