China's foreign ministry has protested against the US move to send a naval vessel into waters adjacent to Chinese islands.A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer, the USS Curtis Wilbur, sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Zhongjian Dao in the Xisha Islands on Saturday.U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's office has reportedly called the deployment an "innocent passage" and "consistent with international law", whilst China says the United States is seeking maritime "hegemony" in the name of so-called freedom of navigation and calls on the U.S. to cease such activities as soon as possible.This incident is the latest in a series of steps the United States has taken as part of what it calls Freedom of Navigation exercises.So how do experts from both China and the US assess the situation in the South China Sea? What should both sides do to avoid further escalations? PIK speaks with Victor Gao, Current affairs commentator and James C. Hsiung, Professor of Politics & International Law, New York University.