We are, of course!

 

Libya, Syria, Ukraine, the rest of North Africa, and another round in Afghanistan just aren’t quite enough to satisfy the United States Government’s insatiable desire for global dominance leadership. President Obama’s recent trips to the East Asian countries were his effort to assuage the fears of those governments that his announced foreign policy redirect isn’t for real. Apparently his pandering words and pledges of military aid were not enough, and so enter Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel.

 

On Saturday, Hagel thought it prudent in his speech at the IISS Asian Security Summit to give Beijing a tongue lashing over its recent activities in the South China Sea, reprimanding them for their “destabilizing unilateral actions” *cough hypocrisy cough*. If the Ukraine-Russia situation has taught them anything, the Chinese government should not be surprised. Beijing however like Moscow is not one to sit by, and allow such talk without response.

 

On Sunday, Deputy Chief of General Staff for China’s People’s Liberation Army, Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong fired back saying that Hagel’s speech was an attempt to “to take the initiative to provoke and challenge China” and that it was “full of hegemonism, threat, and intimidation.” He then went on to say that the speeches of both Hagel and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were meant “to stoke the instability and encourage fight picking in the Asia Pacific,” and that the “attitude there is not constructive.”

 

If the new foreign policy initiative is meant to “rebalance” Asia, a reasonable person will expect that a major part of that “rebalance” should include fostering a shining relationship with China (the largest foreign holder of US Government debt, and the country that could very well soon become the world’s largest economy). Perhaps interjecting into the regional territorial disputes is not the way to go.

 

That just wouldn’t be the US of A though, would it?

 

In addition to highlighting China’s moves regarding reefs, shoals, and oil rigs in the speech, Hagel managed to claim (in the same breath) that the US “[takes] no position on competing territorial claims” while also reaffirming defense of Japan’s claim to the disputed Senkaku Islands as “[they] are under the mutual defense treaty with Japan.” He then went on to highlight all of the wonderful weapons systems and other defense items that will be provided to China’s neighbors, including Japan, in the not-so-distant future. If your head isn’t spinning now, it should be.

 

Or maybe it shouldn’t.

 

An almost forgotten part of our history has been the nearly 65 years spent occupying/warring with/intervening in the affairs of Asian countries during the 20th century. That’s right, 65 years, while the major events (WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) only comprise a grand total of 30 (1941-45, 1950-75). Meddling in East Asia isn’t something new; it’s just a revival of old imperialist ways. 

 

And the meddling isn’t likely soon to stop. 

 

Early Monday morning, Bloomberg.tv was reporting(4) that the flames are only being fanned, with Vietnam in essence demanding more presence by the United States in the region. When asked about the situation, Vietnam’s Prime Minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, also stated that the country “will use all possible peaceful measures to defend and protect [their] sacred sovereignty over the sea, including legal actions.”

 

With POTUS looking to really hammer home his supposed commitment to focusing on the region, Dung played his hand as best he could. We will now wait with bated breath to see whether Obama will be willing to honor the commitments made during his Asian tour. You can bet that if he does, China’s response will not be one to look forward to. We can only hope that these fireworks fizzle out.

 

- Chris Lewis  06/03/14 08:00 AM CT