Nevertheless, the original policy of not becoming embroiled in the sovereignty dispute continues to make sense. The irony is that the US Senate’s failure to ratify UNCLOS means that the US cannot take China to ITLOS over its efforts to convert reefs into islands and claim exclusion zones that could interfere with the right of free passage – a major US interest.
美国的反应是为了阻止中国制造既成事实封锁南海大部。尽管如此，不卷入主权纠纷的最初政策仍然有效。讽刺的是，美国参议院不批准UNCLOS意味着美国不能因为中国填礁造岛并宣布与自由通行权（美国的一大利益）相悖的专属区而将中国诉诸ITLOS。