Experts on international affairs have emphasized that disputes over the South China Sea should be settled through dialogue rather than unilateral arbitration, while warning against interference from external forces. The so-called South China Sea arbitration of 2016, unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, has caused instability and heightened tensions in the region over the past nine years.
Backed by certain Western powers, the Philippines has been seeking international support to enforce the ruling and exerting pressure on China to compromise its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.
On Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi strongly condemned the South China Sea arbitration case as a politically motivated scheme orchestrated by external forces seeking to destabilize the region for their own benefit.
Experts on international relations told China Global Television Network (CGTN) that relevant parties in the region should make efforts to establish a new narrative of peace, cooperation, and friendship, and avoid repeating mistakes.
"People should actually refrain from repeating such errors and actually look at peaceful ways of settling the disputes, look at joint development in the South China Sea, and of course look at and further the Code of Conduct among the ASEAN states and the literal states. And those who are not in the region and not the literal states, I think, are well advised to perhaps stay away from it instead of trying to stir things up," said Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah, co-chairman of the Asian Academy of International Law and former secretary for justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.
According to them, the Philippines should uphold bilateral dialogue rather than arbitration to settle South China Sea issues with China.
"I think there is a need for the Philippines to recall the achievements of the bilateral consultative mechanism in the South China Sea, where both countries willingly decide to cooperate rather than compete in the South China Sea. And I think that's the approach that we should be upholding," said Rommel C. Banlaoi, president of the Philippine Society for International Security Studies.
"For China, I think that China's policy regarding maritime dispute settlement in the region is actually very clear that China wants the problem to be solved between directly involved parties through negotiation and friendly consultation. I think this is the best way to solve the problem within our region," said Yan Yan, director of the Research Center of Oceans Law and Policy at the National Institute for the South China Sea Studies.
Experts call for settling South China Sea disputes via dialogue, caution against external interference
Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.
The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.
Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.
"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.
"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.
"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.
Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.
Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.
"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.
"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.
Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts
