The conductor: At the opening ceremony for the U.S.-China Strategic
and Economic Dialogue, Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton introduces
an unnamed U.S. official to
China's State Councilor Dai Bingguo. Tense
circumstances due to
the case of Chen Guangcheng have put all her
diplomatic skills
to the test.
Lack of Mutual Sino-U.S.
Military Trust a Major Threat (Global Times, People’s Republic of China)
Is Washington
encouraging the Philippines and Vietnam to challenge China’s territorial claims
in the South China Sea? In this editorial from the state-run Global Times,
which reads like a summary of what the U.S. and China have been discussing since
Friday, Beijing warns the U.S. not to try to make up for its economic weakness
with what it regards as foolish military adventurism.
EDITORIAL
May 5, 2012
People’s
Republic of China - Global Times – Original Article (English)
The China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue pertaining to
military cooperation and the visit by China Defense Minister Liang Guanglie to America are important events for military
exchanges between the countries. These will create a certain degree of
relaxation and ease their long-running military confrontation. Such an
atmosphere is essential to improving ties, as it reduces the damage and the
significance of the friction over specific matters. [reference
to controversy over Chen Guangcheng].
Military trust should be amassed by resolving disputes over
China's sea territory [reference to the South China Sea], and through a process
of boosting mutual understanding and adapting to circumstances as they arise.
This will help build a foundation for the two nations to avoid misinterpreting military
maneuvers by the other.
Thus, both nations must have a clear and accurate understanding
of one another. It is unwise for the United States to look down on China as a mere
land force that can only play a limited regional role. Because China has
interests around the world, it is essential for its military to extend its reach
further. Neither should China view the presence of the U.S. military in Asia as
illegal or ignore America’s special influence over global security. China must
accept the truth that the U.S. is an essential power in the region.
The objective of achieving mutual military trust will never
be reached if China seeks to squeeze the United States out to lead Asia on its
own, nor if the U.S. seeks to constrain the rise in China's military strength.
Luckily, neither Beijing nor Washington has such aims.
Now, as their interests and objectives overlap, each country
is in a defensive crouch in relation to the other, giving an opening to brief
confrontations. Since the United States has announced its return to Asia, the
respective bottom lines of both nations concerning the South China Sea have come
close to clashing.
Although analysts still see the possibility of a military
conflict in the South China Sea as slim, once the two sides enter into an arms
race and making displays of military strength, all efforts to build mutual
trust will be ruined.
Competing
territorial claims in the South China Sea: China sees
the
United States meddling, whereas other nations in the region
regard
the U.S. as playing a balancing role.
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The territorial disputes in the South China Sea are a
reality, as is the status of the Philippines as a much smaller country and
China's resolve to settle their dispute peacefully. It is unacceptable to China
to be pressured by the Philippines, which is attempting to legitimize its
aggressive behavior with American assistance.
Posted by Worldmeets.US
Both the Philippines and Vietnam should show China proper respect
and be prepared to pay for their wanton show of bravado. In return, China
should respect these countries, since given China's comparative might and
rising status, any retribution China takes would be construed as bullying by
the global community, resulting in a catastrophic blow to its reputation.
If the U.S. is has given the Philippines and Vietnam a green
light for taking action as long as America maintains a military presence in the
South China Sea, this already constitutes a direct violation of China's
interests and is a blow to Sino-U.S. military trust. In that case, any talk of
"cooperation" and "transparency" is just empty rhetoric.
The U.S. can be expected to maintain absolute global
military superiority for the foreseeable future. Washington should use this dominance
to maintain its global influence by preventing unsound military ambitions, and serving
as a link with other countries as American economic power declines.
U.S. forces must not be directly involved in maritime
disputes among countries in the Western Pacific or be used to support the
Philippines or Vietnam in provoking China.
The South China Sea is the central indicator of Washington’s
genuine attitude toward China. The unspoken dialogue between us over the sea
and actions that are taken there, with all of their complicated overtones, will
have profound consequences that will shape the key convictions China has about
the United States, and that America has of China.
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