Colder times ahead for bilateral relationship
- Source: Global Times
- [21:53 February 02 2010]
- Comments
The US comprehensively interferes with Southeast Asia's affairs. It claims to be making a return to Southeast Asia, and is implementing a comprehensive plan layout along the Taiwan Straits, Southeast China Sea, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and the Strait of Malacca.
The US defies China's protests and the UN Marine Law's spirit of using the sea for peaceful goals, and is posing a serious threat to China's marine rights and interests and the entire nation's security interests.
A crisis over any of the six challenges will have damaging results. History has also shown that US midterm elections are often accompanied by criticism of China. The Sino-US relationship is going to face severe challenges this year.
This isn't surprising. Looking back, each time when a new US president is sworn into office, the Sino-US relationship will enter a vicious circle of tension, friction, adjustment and mitigation.
Obama cannot jump out of the vicious circle either. The difference was only that he postponed the beginning of this cycle. As the US president, Obama is inevitably influenced by the US fixed values, special interest groups and the US's strategic goal of consolidating American leadership in the world. Obama is returning from fantasy to reality.
The author is deputy secretary-general of China Council for National Security Policy Studies. forum@globaltimes.com.cn
