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PLA Daily: The U.S. Will Never Give Up the Use of Hard Power

The people’s Liberation Army Daily published an article that comments on U.S. Defense Secretary Gates’ recent speech. The article states that during the speech, Secretary Gates held that dealing with a complex and unpredictable international security environment needs size, steel, and strength. It marks a change from President Obama and Secretary Clinton’s earlier remarks that the new administration would adopt “smart power” diplomacy. “In short, to maintain its world hegemony, the normal practice of the U.S. is to use both hard and soft power; put figuratively, it is the ‘carrot and stick’ approach. In the future, the U.S. may still insist on building its soft power, but when it comes to maintaining its global hegemony, it will never give up or relax the use of hard power. In this regard, one should not have any wishful thinking or unrealistic expectations.”

Source: Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China, reprinted from People’s Liberation Army Daily, May 29, 2011
http://www.mod.gov.cn/gflt/2011-05/29/content_4244191.htm