The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that as planned, land reclamation on some Nansha islands and reefs will be completed very soon. After that, the project on these islands will turn to the next phase of constructing facilities, most of which are for civil uses.

The statement came after a bitter row which has lasted for quite some time between China and the US, and also involved other South China Sea claimant states. Weeks before the Shangri-La Dialogue in late May, tensions between Beijing and Washington were stirred up because of aggressive US close surveillance actions against China in the South China Sea. The possibility of physical confrontation between both sides was even brought up and resulted in intense public debates.

But the situation has run smoothly after the Shangri-La Dialogue, a platform which didn't witness the expected heated exchange between representatives from Beijing and Washington.

On the contrary, both sides made a tacit decision of avoiding further conflicts by resorting to communication and showing restraint as much as respect to each other. The recent US visit by Chinese top military officer Fan Changlong consolidated this.

Neither Beijing nor Washington sees the South China Sea as a theater for a showdown. As for Washington, its real intention behind the rebukes and hostility against China was not strategically meant to stop China's construction, although that would be the best result for the US.

It was more of a superpower-style pose to back its allies and respond to domestic public opinion. That is why the US didn't show much resistance in the first place when China started the reclamation in January 2014, because it actually doesn't see this region as essential to its core national interests.

China has correctly stated the legitimacy of reclamation work and other construction on the islands it controls. Similar works have long been conducted by the Philippines and Vietnam since the 1970s. China doesn't have a responsibility to inform other countries of the process of the reclamation, but it did so in a bid to play down the situation.

The announcement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry conveys an implicit message to other claimant states and the US, which is that China has set proper limits on the construction.

China is aware that as long as the US and other claimants didn't know when the project might be finished, tensions might revive at any second. Beijing has made a smart move this time: Besides taking a firm stance on its claims, it employs soft tactics to relieve others' concerns and reduce further risks of disturbance.

That China showed goodwill at this moment not only reveals its intention for risk control in the South China Sea, but also can create fresh air for the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue next week and even for Chinese President Xi Jinping's US visit in September.

It could be anticipated that more attention will be focused on the facilities China will build after the completion of the reclamation. China has confirmed repeatedly in details that except for necessary and minimum military installations, all major facilities will be established for civil uses.

Washington's concerns rest on whether China will transform these civil facilities into military use, dominate international sea lanes and threaten the freedom of navigation. The US should realize that China has no reason to arm these islands as long as the South China Sea remains peaceful and stable.

However, currently peace and stability keeps being swayed by Washington's surveillance activities and other military presence.

The recent months have seen dramatic ups and downs between China and the US over the South China Sea disputes. It needs to be emphasized that China has earned more leverage in the rivalry with the US. By having managed to withstand great pressures from Washington, Beijing shows its resolution and strength to carry out whatever it needs to do as long as it is legitimate, despite outside troubles even from the world's sole superpower.

Washington needs to realize that time has changed. The pressures it imposes on China will now only make China more resilient in face of challenges. But the less of a deterrent effect it has on China, the more frustrated and less loyal its allies will be.

The article was compiled by Global Times reporter Liu Zhun based on an interview with Zhou Fangyin, a professor at the Guangdong Research Institute for International Strategies. liuzhun@globaltimes.com.cn