What is the most realistic approach

If armed conflict erupts between China and the Philippines over the Huangyan Island dispute, the interests of the two countries and their peoples will be greatly damaged.

"Sovereignty issues of the South China Sea islands do not make up the entire China-Philippines relationship," said Li Guoqiang, deputy director of the Research Center for Chinese Borderland History and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think tank.

As a responsible nation, it is China's choice to resolve conflicts with other nations via diplomatic channels, Li said.

China has remained restrained and is not in favor of armed conflict. In the short run, besides diplomatic efforts, China's major strategy is to dispatch surveillance and fishery administration ships.

"Such a practice not only reflects that China considers the Huangyan Island issue as an internal affair and conveys China's not-to-waver attitude toward territory and sovereignty problems, but also shows its wish of not resorting to force of arms to resolve the issue," said Tong Xiaoling, China's ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

As for the attempt of the Philippines to submit the Huangyan Island issue to the "international court," Zhang Haiwen said it is a trick of the Philippines, aiming to internationalize the issue.

It is completely unnecessary and legally groundless to bring it to the so-called "international court," Zhang said.

Actually, China submitted a formal statement to the United Nations in 2006 in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Zhang said.

The announcement clarifies that any significant disputes involving territory, sovereignty and maritime demarcation will not accept international arbitration that has binding force.

In other words, except that China and other related parties reached consensus, such disputes should not be submitted to international judicial bodies, he said.

According to the UN convention, China's statement was not only submitted to the UN Secretary General, but also has been published on the official website of the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea.

Zhang said it is due to ignorance or making trouble out of nothing for the Philippine foreign minister to repeatedly propose to submit the Huangyan Island issue to the so-called "international court."

Li Guoqiang said, "Under the circumstance that their attempt to gain support of the United States and the ASEAN member states had failed and the proposed international arbitration became hopeless, the Philippines should give up misjudging the situation and return to the bargaining table as soon as possible."

Analysts suggest that the Chinese side make all-round preparations on the issue, as the Philippine side, regardless of the consequence, has constantly escalated the issue, and repeatedly breached the Sino-Philippine consensus about not expanding and complicating the situation.