Notably, when five Chinese navy vessels sailed not far from Alaska's coastline in September, the Pentagon didn't oppose it, deeming it as a regular "innocent passage" around the US state. This, to a large extent, might explain the US' provocative actions near China's islands. So the two countries have to make adjustments to the maritime operations.

In the face of the US' provocative actions, such as the one on Oct 27 in the South China Sea, Beijing must do more than just lodge protests with Washington. For example, it should dispatch its navy vessels to follow, supervise and warn the "visiting" US ships. This can be a feasible way of defusing maritime tensions.

In other words, Beijing could try some new thinking and act like Washington to protect its legal interests and ensure freedom of navigation without undermining the two sides' shared pursuit of non-confrontation.

More importantly, as the world's largest trading country, China ought to expedite the buildup of its navy and seek freer navigation rights in the international waters - a true global core interest - with an open mind. And for that to happen, the country has to engage in the detailed discussions on flexible management and use of regional waters with other countries.

As for their friction in the South China Sea, Beijing and Washington must take all possible steps to prevent it from escalating into a crisis. The Beijing visit by Commander of the US Pacific Command Admiral Harry Harris means the two sides are willing to minimize the risks.

But both Harris and the Pentagon should do more than just repeating Washington's justification for the Oct 27 patrol as demonstrating that US planes and ships would "fly, sail and operate whenever and wherever international law allows". This change is necessary because the international law on maritime territories cannot be interpreted as the US wishes to.

The author is president of blshe.com and a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University.