自1943年開始,美國開始考慮戰后世界秩序問題,而戰爭期間被日本占領的南海諸島則是待處理的領土之一。二戰后期,美國在有關該問題的研究方案中傾向于在戰后將南海諸島交還給某一聲索方,或進行國際托管。戰后初期,美國不再支持將南海諸島進行國際托管,也不支持任何一聲索方對南海諸島的主權要求。20世紀四五十年代之交,美國希望南海諸島問題的處理盡可能模糊化,且不能有利于新生的中華人民共和國。最終,在美國主導下制定的《舊金山對日和約》僅規定了日本放棄南海諸島,卻沒有規定具體的接收方。《舊金山對日和約》的出臺標志著美國對南海爭端政策的形成。

Since 1943,the US government had been thinking over the post-WWII international order.The sovereignty over the islands in South China Sea occupied by Japan during the wartime were one of the problems to be solved.In the late stage of WWII,the US government tended to give these islands to any country that claimed sovereignty over them or have them under international trusteeship.In the early postwar years,nevertheless,the US supported neither of the above options.In the late 1940s and early 1950s,the US hoped to deal with the problem of the islands in South China Sea in a way as vague as possible and not benefiting the new People’s Republic of China.At last,the San Francisco Japanese Peace Treaty,drafted under the dominant power of the US government,only demands Japan give up the sovereignty over these islands with out identifying any country to claim the sovereignty.The San Francisco Japanese Peace Treaty represents the formation of the US policy towards the disputes in South China Sea.