But the US remained careful not to be drawn into the competing claims over sovereignty, some of which are tenuous, while on others China sometimes has a stronger legal position. Moreover, the US had to focus on larger issues in its relationship with China.
该地区的小国寻求美国的支持。但美国仍保持谨慎，不愿被拖入主权纠纷——其中一些纠纷微不足道，而另一些纠纷有时候中国的法理更令人信服。此外，美国需要关注更大的对华关系问题。