Luo Yuan: The American Military Won’t Go Away If We Just Grin and Bear It

“The Military’s core function is to focus on how to fight; it is to be able to fight and to win the war. There is no such thing as ‘hawks’ or ‘doves’ [in the military]. One cannot accuse Chinese soldiers of intervening in political affairs and being militant. The U.S. Defense Secretary not only used the language of a bully in the South China Sea but also acted as such, personally, aboard the aircraft carrier in the South China Sea. Why not condemn the U.S. for military intervention and for being a war fanatic? Will the U.S. aircraft carrier leave by itself if we are humble and submissive? There is a bottom line in obtaining peace. We cannot barter away principles or territory for peace."  

“We do not have to make every bush and tree look like an enemy. However, now the wind in the South and the East China Sea is already heaving the waves. The U.S. Navy and Air Force are moving 60 percent of their forces to the Asia-Pacific region. Almost all their advanced weaponries have shown their faces in the South China Sea. Even the aircraft carriers and strategic bombers have come here. We cannot always take the ‘ostrich policy.’” 

"We can have the kind heart to believe that the ‘U.S. returning to Asia is not aimed at China,’ but are the facts convincing? Even the Americans themselves admit it is aimed at China. The Philippines’ 2015 GDP is less than US$0.3 trillion. The United States does not help it to improve poverty. Instead, the U.S. provides it with US$425 million in military aid, advanced weapons, and equipment. Is it pouring fuel on the fire, thus inciting the Philippines against China? If this is not planning a ‘proxy war,’ then what is it? We should not be ‘crying wolf’ every day, but if we are not prepared, we will not have the chance to cry if the wolf really comes.”