美國和西方一直指責中國是南海軍事對抗升級的元凶，但事實也許更複雜。據新加坡外交元老馬凱碩（Kishore Mahbubani，印裔，他是儒家文化的崇拜者，但本質上是西化的了）在近作《Has China won?》披露了一個不常提到的說法，是他第一手從美國前駐華大使芮效儉（Stapleton Roy.）那聽來的。
Few Americans can claim to know China as well as Ambassador Stapleton Roy. Born in China, a fluent Mandarin speaker, Roy also served as the American ambassador to China from 1991 to 1995 and has stayed exceptionally well informed on US-China relations. He explained what happened: In a joint press conference with President Obama on September 25, 2015, Xi Jinping had proposed a more reasonable approach on the South China Sea. Xi had supported full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, signed by China and all ten ASEAN members; had called for early conclusion of the China-ASEAN consultations on a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea; and had added that China had no intention of militarizing the Spratlys, where it had engaged in massive reclamation work on the reefs and shoals it occupied. Roy said that Obama missed an opportunity to capitalize on this reasonable proposal. Instead, the US Navy stepped up its naval patrols. China responded by proceeding with militarization.
