US-China Relations - 145. page

An article on the People’s Daily website anticipates an increase in U.S. arms sales to Asian countries. “The large sale of arms to Taiwan once again shows that U.S. arms exports are an important part of its Asia Pacific strategy. In recent years, the United States has increased its arms exports to the Asia Pacific region and, in particular, to ASEAN countries. Further it is trying to bundle its weaponry systems with these countries’ need for munitions so as to serve its own strategic goals.”

Source: People’Daily Online, September 23, 2011
http://world.people.com.cn/GB/15735907.html

Recently, Chinese media have paid a lot of attention to Gary Locke, the new U.S. Ambassador to China. The media have highly praised him for his humble and simple lifestyle, which is in sharp contrast to Chinese government officials. For example, he flies economy class, has no servants, carries his own backpack, and buys coffee with a coupon.

Huanqiu (Global Times), a state media under Xinhua, published an article on the media’s attention, warning against “inappropriate” reports about Mr. Locke. The article stated, “They are gradually becoming like ‘Paparazzi,’ reporting on Locke. His every little action is packaged as ‘high moral trivia.’” The article criticized such reports as being ignorant of common international ways. It continued, “For Mr. Locke’s part, he should purposely avoid being a ‘star’ in the Chinese media. As a matter of fact, he may have unintentionally cooperated (with the media), perhaps out of his own preferences, or out of his ‘new tasks’ at the U.S. Embassy in China. He seems to enjoy this ‘moral show’ in the Chinese media, although he is very clear that he is not as ‘humble’ as reported on China’s Internet.

“The U.S. ambassador should focus on the development of Sino-U.S. relations and resolve misunderstandings, not play a character in the internal conflicts within China’s media so as to interfere with Chinese media in a sneaky (but really smart) way and increase the misunderstandings and suspicion between China and the U.S. … Those Chinese media that actively report Gary Locke’s ‘moral show’ should also have more self respect and dignity. They can find other angles for criticizing the corruption and bureaucracy of China’s government officials. To overly beautify a foreign ambassador in China, particularly when his China task is ‘quite complicated,’ is very inappropriate. … We hope Gary Locke can focus on his ambassador’s job in China. To those Chinese media: don’t have any illusions about [Mr. Locke]’s identity.”

Source: Huanqiu, September 22, 2011
http://finance.huanqiu.com/data/2011-09/2026319.html
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-09/22/c_122073734.htm

Xinhua recently published a commentary criticizing the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, saying it “concerns China’s core interests and the Sino-U.S. relationship, and will result in serious damage.”

A Xinhua editorial states that the United States will end up harming itself by selling arms to Taiwan. “The Obama Administration of the United States decided on September 21, 2011, to sell arms to Taiwan. Thus, one more time, it ate its own words on an issue involving China’s core interests. … Only when the United States keeps its promises, adequately handles the Taiwan issue, and stops arms sales and military exchanges can it promote healthy and stable progress in the Sino-US relationship. Otherwise, the political credibility of the United States will continue to decline. Eventually it will wipe out its credit and the United States will be its own victim. This is not a threat.”

Source: Xinhua, September 22, 2011
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2011-09/22/c_122070243.htm

People’s Daily published an article exressing opposition to the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, which the U.S. government announced on September 21, 2011. The article says, “This is the second time that the Obama administration has done so. The U.S action severely violates the principle of the three China-US joint communiqués, severely interferes with China’s internal affairs, severely damages China’s national security, and damages China’s peaceful unification and Sino-U.S. relations.” “The U.S. arms sale to Taiwan is an old problem. For a long time, the U.S. has regarded Taiwan as an ‘unsinkable carrier,’ and tried to contain China by selling arms to Taiwan and assisting in Taiwan’s defense.”

“We never expect the U.S. to give more weight to its promises and faith than to its interest in its national agenda. However, even from the perspective of its national interest, it is not a wise action to keep selling arms to Taiwan.”

The article warns, “If some American politicians believe that the U.S. can demand China to be a ‘responsible country’ and cooperate with the U.S. on this and that issue but, on the other hand, damage China’s core interests at will without paying any price, it will be a serious mistake.”

Source: People’s Daily, September 22, 2011
http://world.people.com.cn/GB/15721661.html

People’s Daily Oversea’s Edition carried an article questioning why, without reason, presidential candidates always pick China as a topic.

The article named republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney. According to the article, even when Romney seems to lose his approval rating due to the high profile candidacy of Texas Governor Rick Perry, Romney’s words to “attack China” grow stronger in areas from trade, to patent rights, to currency. The article also mentioned the comments that Romney made in 2006 during his visit to China when he was the Massachusetts Governor, “China is a stronger competitor than expected. … It is important for the U.S. to interact with China based on free trade. … The US-China relationship should be bridged instead of building a concrete wall.”

The article points out that Romney’s inconsistent remarks and inter-changeable principles "demonstrate the bad trait of U.S. politics." It calls the U.S. “a country that is constantly looking for an opponent” and criticized the two parties for their “ignorant, arrogant, extreme statements (on China)” in order to attract voters’ attention.

Source: People’s Daily Oversea’s Edition, September 16, 2011
http://www.qstheory.cn/gj/gjsspl/201109/t20110916_110467.htm

People’s Liberation Army Daily published a commentary on the upcoming U.S. arms sale to Taiwan. According to the commentary, if the U.S. proceeds with the arms sale to Taiwan, “it will seriously interfere with China’s internal affairs and will endanger China’s security and core interests.” It will further demonstrate the dual character of the U.S. position on major issues affecting China’s core interests. Such a dual character “has its root cause in its self-proclaimed global hegemony.” “On the one hand, it wants China to share responsibility and handle crises. On the other hand, it is afraid that China will challenge the U.S. It has thus been inconsistent to such an extent that it sells arms to Taiwan and sabotages its normal bilateral relationship with China. The white paper that China recently released indicated that any concerns the U.S. has about China amount to much ado about nothing.”

Source: People’s Liberation Army Daily reprinted by Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China, September 12, 2011
http://www.mod.gov.cn/big5/opinion/2011-09/12/content_4297235.htm

Regarding the current situation involving the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan, Huanqiu (the Chinese name for Global Times, a newspaper under Xinhua) surveyed the residents of seven cities from September 8-11, 2011. The results were that 84.1 percent of those surveyed oppose the U.S. selling advanced weapons to Taiwan; 76.1% support the Chinese government’s taking strong action to stop the U.S. arms sale; more than half support the government in retaliating by punishing the American companies involved in the arms sale.

Yuan Peng, an American expert at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that the survey results demonstrate that the Chinese people are willing to cooperate if the government takes action on this issue; it is an expression of patriotic sentiment. If the U.S. does not change its decision, the Chinese people’s resentment toward the U.S. will not be satisfied with mere lip service.

Source: Huanqiu, September 14, 2011
http://mil.huanqiu.com/Observation/2011-09/2001813.html