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US-China Relations - 110. page

Qiushi: The Conflicts between China and the U.S. Have Been Exaggerated

An official from China’s Academy of Social Sciences wrote a commentary, which Qiushi then published, stating that the conflicts between the U.S. and China have been exaggerated.  

According to the commentary, although the conflicts in East Asia appear to be irreconcilable, on the whole, the situation may be a different story. “China does not have the capability or the intent to challenge the U.S. position on the global platform. The two countries still have additional room for cooperation on global issues. If the two sides share more common interests in dealing with global issues and establish more robust cooperation mechanisms, they may be able to transcend the inevitable, structural geopolitical conflicts in East Asia."  
Due to differences in ideologies, any specific conflict could easily be magnified to become a lethal attack against and a part of the strategy to weaken the adversary. “The life and death confrontation between the capitalist countries and socialist countries is more the result of traditional international political realism and geopolitical competition. The confrontation between the U.S. and Soviet Union was, ultimately, one for hegemonic power to protect their national interests. … The actual role of ideology in Sino-U.S. relations may be more minor than imagined.” 
Source: Qiushi, August 19, 2014 
http://www.qstheory.cn/international/2014-08/19/c_1112140291.htm
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

People’s Daily: American Media Call for Tit for Tat against Chinese Antitrust Investigations

People’s Daily recently published a commentary dismissing the points that angry American media have been making about a series of antitrust investigations against American companies in China. In the past several months, high profile American companies (among other foreign companies) have been subject to Chinese antitrust investigations. Examples are Microsoft, Qualcomm, Accenture, General Motors and General Electric. Many Western media companies, especially some of the American media companies such as Fortune, have called for “Tit for Tat” retaliatory actions. The commentary said these “suggestions” are “very ignorant” and that they “put the spirit of the free market to shame.” The author expressed the belief that the voices aired by companies like Fortune are “too stupid to realize” that Western companies have been enjoying special treatment in China for too long. 
Source: People’s Daily, August 15, 2014
http://finance.people.com.cn/n/2014/0815/c1004-25474576.html
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Military Expert: Stationing American Troops in Australia Is More Symbolic than to Contain China

In an interview with China News Agency reporter, Zhang Junshe, a senior investigator at the People’s Liberation Army Naval Military Studies Research Institute, discussed the United States and Australia signing of a 25-year agreement to increase military presence in Australia. Zhang pointed out that the agreement is, in fact, part of the U.S. Pacific rebalancing strategy. Zhang said, "The United States believes that, in recent years, Australia has been developing stronger economic ties with China and Sino-Australian trade development has been growing more rapidly. Americans are worried that the close Sino-Australia relationship will undermine its strategy to contain China. The United States wants to contain China in the Asia-Pacific region and to maintain its hegemonic position. Since America’s economic and military strength has declined, maintaining its relationship with Australia is particularly necessary." 

Zhang suggested that Darwin Harbor may become another American "super base" in the Asia-Pacific region. The real significance of Americans working on the base in Darwin is that, once something happens in the South China Sea, American military ships, submarines, and aircraft will be able to be stationed, in large quantities, at different bases in Australia. This is where [we] really need to be vigilant. 
Zhang stressed that the U.S. military in Australia is more about its symbolic significance. Signing the agreement is also to display the further strengthening of the U.S.-Australian military defense strategy. 

Source: China News Agency, August 14, 2014 
http://www.chinanews.com/mil/2014/08-14/6490537.shtml
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2014/0814/c1011-25461886.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

China Review News: U.S. Forceful Intervention Complicates the Situation in the South China Sea

China Review News (CRN) published a commentary article following Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s “response” to the “suggestions” that the United States made on the South China Sea issue while attending the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Naypyidaw, Myanmar.

 　　
The article said, “Who is meddling in the South China Sea? Of course, it is the United States. U.S. State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Fox proposed ‘three suggestions’ on the South China Sea dispute. It appears that the United States is overly ‘concerned’ with the South China Sea issue. The South China Sea dispute is a farce that the United States has both orchestrated and directed. Previously, the United States backed the Philippines and Vietnam to provoke China on the South China Sea issue. … Now that China’s determination to safeguard China’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity cannot be shaken, the United States has anxiously walked to the front from backstage and has directly intervened in the South China Sea issue.” 
The article continued, “Wherever the United States intervenes, there will be no peace. Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, and Ukraine – the United States has intervened in all these countries. The results? [They are:] a division of the country, never ending wars, widespread poverty, and no security. As Minister Wang Yi said, ‘Does the U.S. also want to turn this area [the South China Sea] into a mess? Looking back, the United States is really evil. For its own so-called strategic interests, the U.S. forcefully pursues its hegemonism and power politics and has messed up other countries that are prosperous and peaceful.” 
"Today, the U.S. also comes to the Asia-Pacific region to intervene in the South China Sea issue, trying to make the South China Sea into a sea of war. This time, the United States seems to have miscalculated the situation."
"The U.S. forceful intervention in the South China Sea is bound to bring the region into turmoil. Neither the ‘three suggestions’ on the South China Sea that the United States made or the ‘three-step’ solution that the Philippines proposed are truly meant to solve the South China Sea issue. Instead, they intend to launch an attack on China. When the United States walks to the front stage from behind, it is not to solve the South China Sea conflict, but to stir up turmoil in the South China Sea so as to achieve its so-called Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy to contain China."
Source: China Review News, August 14, 2014 
http://3g.zhgpl.com/crn-webapp/touch/detail.jsp?coluid=136&kindid=0&docid=103336617
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

People’s Daily: Obama’s Free Ride Remarks are Baseless and Ridiculous

People’s Daily issued a commentary on Obama’s remarks that China is a free rider. President Obama, in an interview with The New York Times, said that China is a global “free rider” and no one expects China do something for the world. 

According to People’s Daily, Obama’s remarks came "out of nowhere" and showed the "confused logic" of the United States. The United States has made a series of mistakes in Iraq, and is “embarrassing itself” by comparing the role it played in Iraq with that of China. The United States is the "invader" and "deserter" of Iraq, while China has been a "partner" and a "builder." 
People’s Daily first indicated that Chinese companies have built comprehensive petroleum production and processing facilities in Iraq and have completed telecommunication projects that provide coverage throughout Iraq. It then stated, “The ‘Free Rider’ remarks are baseless and truly ridiculous.” 
[Editor’s note: From the New York Times interview Aug 8 – Obama: “They are free riders. And they have been free riders for the last 30 years and it’s worked really well for them. … I’ve joked sometimes, when my inbox starts stacking up. I said can’t we be a little bit more like China? Nobody ever seems to expect them to do anything when this stuff comes up.”]
Source: People’s Daily, August 13, 2014 
http://renwu.people.com.cn/n/2014/0813/c357069-25457217.html
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Huanqiu: African Summit, Americans Learn from China While Stubbornly Refusing to Admit Mistakes

A Huanqiu opinion article made some comments on the recent African Summit held in Washington DC. 
"From August 4 to August 6, the Americans ‘learned the Chinese way’ when they attended an African Summit. This is the first obvious example of the ‘Chinazation’ of American diplomacy. Looking at Obama who sat together with nearly 50 African leaders and government representatives and discussed African-American cooperation, the Chinese people were happy. China has good things and is not afraid that the Americans will learn from it. China does not have a sense of crisis about China’s interests being compromised if Americans strengthen their cooperation with Africa."
"It is President Obama who is a bit stingy. At the Summit he emphasized that ‘we don’t look to Africa simply for its natural resources’ and that ‘we don’t simply want to extract minerals from the ground.’ The media interpreted that he was ‘silently criticizing’ China. What is more, in his exclusive interview with the Economist magazine, he said, ‘The roads (built by China) don’t just lead from the mine to the port to Shanghai.’"
"Americans should no doubt be considered ‘oldies’ in Africa. They have quite a deep influence there. China’s experience in Africa is still young, but this round of Sino-African cooperation has flung the American-African relationship far behind. Sino-African total trade in 2009 exceeded the trade with the U.S. by more than $100 billion and China has become Africa’s largest trading partner. In 2013, the figure jumped to over $200 billion, while, last year, American-African trade shrank to $60 billion from over $100 billion in 2008. It is understandable that Americans are getting worried."
"The rapid development of Sino-African cooperation verified the vitality and future of the bilateral cooperation on an equal footing and also demonstrated the huge potential of the Chinese economy. In contrast, the West’s highbrow way of ‘transformation of Africa’ has become less and less popular in Africa. This is the root cause behind the difference between Sino-African and American-African trade."
Source: People’s Daily, August 7, 2014
http://opinion.people.com.cn/n/2014/0807/c1003-25421033.html
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Jin Canrong: A Weak U.S. President Is Not Good for Sino-U.S. Relations

While talking to a reporter from the Global Times about the U.S. political situation and its impact on Sino-U.S. relations, Jin Canrong, Associate Dean of the School of International Studies, Renmin University of China, analyzed the poor economic situation in the United States. In his analysis, Jin said that this situation is a very important reason for the escalation of the American political struggle, as it has led the voters of each party to become more extreme. In addition, psychologically, the Republicans do not accept a minority president. As for the national decline of the U.S, as reflected in the worries that appear in the media, it is mostly due to objective reasons. China’s rise places the U.S. influence in a position of relative decline. However, it is also undeniable that Obama is personally to blame for the situation. Some of his policies often sound good but are unenforceable. This places the U.S. on a sliding trajectory. For [the interest of] China, it is better that the United States has a relatively strong president. In such a condition, it is more likely for cooperation between the two countries to be carried out and for agreements to be executed. Otherwise negotiations might not make sense. Republicans may not really sue Obama, but it would embarrass Obama and make him more vulnerable and weaker. This is not a good thing in terms of Sino-U.S. relations. 

Source: Global Times, August 1, 2014 
 http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2014-08/5092779.html
Briefings | | |   US-China Relations

Chinese Think Tank: It’s Obvious that U.S. Air-Sea Battle Strategy Is Targeting China

On July 23, the Association of China Strategic Culture Promotion [a “civil” Chinese think tank] issued a "2013 U.S. Military Assessment Report" in Beijing. The report said that the United States plans to develop an "Air-Sea Battle" strategy to meet the challenges of "anti-access and area denial." The report pointed out that "Air-Sea Battle: a military collaboration dealing with the challenge of ‘anti-access and area denial,’" as the first official U.S. document to explain "Air Sea Battle," will have a significant and far-reaching impact in four areas. 

First, it will have an impact on the transformation of the U.S. Army. 
Second, it will damage the Sino-U.S. strategic relationship of mutual trust. According to the analysis in the report, the U. S. “defense strategy guide" clearly stated that China’s rise broke the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region and the Chinese military’s "anti-access and area denial" capabilities posed a serious threat to the U.S. military. The intention of the American "Air-Sea Battle" against China is very clear. China cannot help but suspect the sincerity of the U.S.’s cooperation and its true strategic intentions. 
Third, it will, under the influence of the overall U.S. military strategy, force its allies to undergo military expansion. 
Fourth, it will eventually have a negative impact on the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. This impact will manifest mainly in the following areas: an increase in the U.S. military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region; the expansion of naval and air bases in Guam, Hawaii, and other places; as well as the conduct of several large-scale multinational military exercises. 

Source: People’s Daily, July 24, 2014 
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2014/0724/c1011-25337744.html

Briefings | | |   US-China Relations