The Chinese people love peace and countries should not threaten each other with the use of force, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday as he kicked off a large-scale naval parade marking 70 years since the founding of China’s navy.

China’s activities in its surrounding seas may be as much a recognition of its weaknesses as an assertion of strengths. What is certain is that the East and South China Seas will continue to be sources of contention in the immediate future.