Foreign and Military Affairs
Despite US friction, bilateral ties solid
By Cheng Guangjin (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-21 08:56
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American moves spurred on by China's strong relations in region
BEIJING - Although the United States has recently been wavering in its China policy, this friction is unlikely to become a major issue in bilateral ties, said analysts.
Almost at the same time as a Pentagon official dismissed talk of Chinese "pressure" in the South China Sea, an American commander in the Philippines urged the region to adequately build up its military capacity to protect its territorial waters.
Admiral Robert Willard, the head of the US Pacific Command, told a news conference on Wednesday after annual defense talks in Manila with Philippine military officials, "we discussed the assertiveness that we're experiencing by the Chinese in the South China Sea and the concerns that that has generated within the region," according to the Associated Press.
"It's very important that governments in the region invest in sufficient military and security apparatus to protect their respective territorial waters," Willard was quoted as saying by AP.
He said US forces would continue with their presence in the region for years to come to keep its sea-lanes and air space safe for the huge traffic in commercial cargo, according to AP.
His comments were seen as inconsistent with what US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Rober Scher said a day before in Hanoi that the Pentagon hasn't seen any recent examples of alleged Chinese pressure on global oil and gas companies operating in the South China Sea.
Speaking after a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Scher said he didn't anticipate confrontation between the US and China in the South China Sea.
"Both navies are very responsible entities and I don't foresee any kind of clashes," Bloomberg quoted Scher as saying.
"I hope that we can continue to keep those structures in place between our countries to deal with any potential mistakes or miscalculations," he said.
Scher's visit came a week after the US Navy held a weeklong exercise with its one-time foe Vietnam aiming to build on improved defense ties, and ahead of US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' planned trip to Hanoi in October to meet his counterparts from Vietnam, China and 15 other countries, said Bloomberg.
Disputes over the South China Sea have been aggravated since US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton claimed US "national interests" in the sea at a regional security forum held in Vietnam last month.
She also urged a multilateral solution to sovereignty disputes between China and some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) over several islands, over which China has indisputable sovereignty and maintains that solutions must be sought in a bilateral manner.
"Now with China's rapid economic growth and increasing influence in the Asia-Pacific such as closer ties with ASEAN, the US is worried about its fading presence in this region and being restricted on the sea," said Fan.
Professor Shen Dingli, director of the Center for American Studies at Shanghai's Fudan University, said the US has taken a generally prudent approach when dealing with issues related to China.
"Friction over the South China Sea issue will not be a major issue in bilateral relations," said Shen, who is upbeat about the two countries' future relationship despite recent tension.
"The US is making allies with ASEAN nations largely because of China's good ties with them," said Shen, "and is trying to seek a balance of power in this region".
"China now should take the initiative by demonstrating that China's rise cannot be separated from cooperation with its neighbors," said Shen.
Shen noted that US officials expressing differing opinions is not unusual, but what represents the attitude of the US government is the president's decision.
Wang Haishan and Yang Jing contributed to this story.
