Editor's Note

Panetta finds little traction in Beijing US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta encouraged China and Japan to seek a peaceful way to resolve the escalating Diaoyu Islands disputes during his talks Tuesday with Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie, but Chinese analysts describe the US as partial to the Japanese side.
US invites China to participate in military exercise Chinese defense chief wants peaceful resolution over Diaoyu Islands but warns of "further actions" Chinese State Councilor meets US Secretary of Defense

Background

Panetta's two-day visit from Sunday, made en route to China and New Zealand, comes as Japan and China are locked in a dispute over islands in the East China Sea, with tensions reaching a new high after Japan last week purchased three of the islands from their Japanese owner, local media reported.

Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie visited the Pentagon in May.

Before he started his journey to Japan, China and New Zealand, Panetta cast himself as a mediator in the dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands, Foreign Policy magazine reported.

Highlighted Schedules

Source: Agencies

Highlighted Voices

Leon Panetta, US Defense Secretary	Panetta said on Monday the US won't take sides over Diaoyu Islands and wants a peaceful resolution between China and Japan during talks with Japanese government officials in Tokyo. East Asia maritime issues should be resolved via peaceful diplomatic means. The US' goal is to have the United States and China establish the most important bilateral relationship in the world. And the key to that is to establish a strong military-to-military relationship.
Liang Guanglie, Chinese Defense Minister	"We reserve the right to take further actions, although we hope to settle the issue through peaceful negotiation," Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie told reporters after his talks with US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Tuesday.
Koichiro Gemba, Japanese Foreign Minister	"The important thing in relations between Japan and China is to avoid misunderstanding and misjudgment," Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said, noting the need for stronger communication and not to further escalate the situation.
Hong Lei, foreign ministry spokesman	China hopes the US will stick to its decision not to take a position on the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said  Monday. "As a product of the Cold War, the Japan-US security treaty is a bilateral arrangement between the two countries, and should not undermine the interests of a third party, including China," said Hong.

Source: Xinhua

Comments

Chinese Media Digest

The Xinhua News Agency commented Monday that the escalating tensions over the Diaoyu Islands and the South China Sea were not only due to excessive greed by some nations but also to the US’ “return to Asia” strategy. The report also believed that Japan had repeatedly defied China’s bottom line over the islands with the US-Japan defense treaty.

Separately, the Jiefang Daily, a daily newspaper of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, stated Monday that the US takes the chance to compel Japan to depend more on the US for national defense and intensify its strength in Asia by consolidating the US-Japan defense treaty.

The US worries that if China and Japan fall into a war, it will be harmed. China should not accept Panetta as a mediator. Panetta's Japan visit might have included discussions on cooperation in a possible war against China if tensions escalated.------------------------Shi Yinhong, a professor at the School of International Studies with the Renmin University of China

The US will not change its position in the disputes, as that it ostensibly does not take a position, but in fact, it takes the opposite side to China.--------------------Jin Canrong, vice dean of the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China

To read more

Sino-US Military Visits

In the last 10 years, military exchange visits between China and the United States have been carried out each year except when US announced arms sales to Taiwan. And the exchange visits are even more frequent recently, US-based Huffington Post reported.
	China's Defense Minister Liang Guanglie visits US Time: May 2 - May 10, 2012 Liang Guanglie discussed topics of mutual concern with US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the Pentagon, while pledging further cooperation to combat cyber threats.
	Top US Military Officer Mike Mullen Visits China Time: July 10 - July 13, 2011 China and US announced the details of military exchanges to be conducted in the near future after a meeting between high-level military officials of both nations.
	China's senior military official Chen Bingde visits US Time: May 15 - May 22. 2011 China's military chief headed to the US for a week-long visit, the first in seven years, as the two armies seek to build a long-term framework for their communication so as to reduce misjudgment and conflict.
	US Defense Secretary Robert Gates visits China Time: January 10 -  January 12, 2011 Robert Gates visited the Second Artillery Force of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA).