China won't put up with overt US militarism in Asia

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The Nation January 10, 2012 1:00 am

Over the weekend, China's state media, the Xinhua news agency, took issue with US President Barack Obama over his recent announcement about the US's plan to strengthen its military presence in the region as it moves beyond the age of counter-insurgency in wars like those in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Xinhua editorial warned the United States about its plan, saying that now is not the time to be "flexing its muscles" in the region.

In line with past practice, Beijing is keeping silent while permitting the state-run press to sound things out. The Communist Party's Global Times newspaper said the US is not able to stop the rise of China and called on the government to develop more long-range missiles to deter the US Navy in the Pacific.

Among other things, the US plan calls for an overall reduction of troops and budget over the next ten years. Without calling it so, the Chinese government is likely to interpret the new plan as a "containment strategy" in response to China's growing power.

Under the new plan, the US's troop strength would fall from 570,000 to 490,000. In monetary terms, the cutback is about half a trillion dollars.

Obama said the new strategy is a smarter alternative to across-the-board military cuts. In real terms it means more dependency on the navy and air force. In terms of geography, the focus is from the Middle East to Asia. But the Pentagon will continue to invest in counter-terrorism and cyber warfare, as well as attempting to stop nuclear proliferation.

"Our military will be leaner, but the world must know the United States is going to maintain our military superiority, with armed forces that are agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats," Obama said.

The Chinese official press, while it welcomed a US presence as long as it can boost stability and prosperity, said US militarism could "endanger peace" in the region if it doesn't behave.

"If the United States indiscreetly applies militarism in the region, it will be like a bull in a china shop, and endanger peace instead of enhancing regional stability," Xinhua said.

The US is reorienting its policy from the Middle East to Asia, where much of the history for this century will be written.

Asia receded from the US interest after the end of the Cold War, as Washington shifted its focus on Europe and became obsessed with the Middle East, especially after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. For an entire decade the US focus was on the global "war on terror", and dragged a number of countries along this rocky road that is deep rooted in civil wars - namely between the Islamists and their respective nation-states, which radicals seek to overthrow.

America committed its forces to Iraq and Afghanistan and spent more than one trillion dollars on wars there. The two conflicts have so far claimed more than 6,000 American lives.

But a "rediscovered" Asia should not come at the expense of Washington's stated commitment to peace and democracy building in the Middle East, given that the "Arab Spring" uprisings are still going on, and peace in Palestine is still far off.

Nevertheless, it is understandable why the focus on the Asia-Pacific region is needed: it has fast-growing economies, coupled with the fact that US companies export more than US$300 billion worth of goods to the region annually. American companies have also invested greatly in Asia. On the security front, the US has multiple alliances with a number of countries, namely Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines and Thailand.

The challenge is for the US to create an environment in which its engagement with the region will not antagonise the Chinese and push Beijing to take unwanted measures that may affect the region as a whole. Mutual respect must come from all sides, while the growth and prosperity of one nation cannot come at the expense of others.

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Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/China-wont-put-up-with-overt-US-militarism-in-Asia-30173415.html

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