From Chinese Press
US must not try to check China's rising power
(People's Daily Online)
Updated: 2010-08-18 16:02
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South Korea and the United States kicked off their 35th annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint exercises, one of the most important military exercises, on Aug. 16. About 30,000 U.S. troops are taking part, a more than two-fold increase over previous years.
The U.S. Defense Department also announced earlier that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington would take part in the military exercises to be held on the Yellow Sea.
Superficially, the United States' behavior seemed to be some kind of super-tough response to the sinking of the Cheonan that killed 46 South Korean sailors in March. However, in light of the country's recent display off the South China Sea, the escalating actions appear to be more a strategic show of strength rather than just a reaction to one particular incident.
In recent years, U.S. dominance in the Asia Pacific region and its maritime hegemony in the West Pacific region have both obviously declined. Frictions are appearing between Japan and South Korea and North Korea seems to be headed on a nuclear road of no return.
Cooperation mechanisms in Asia have been strengthened. The China-ASEAN Free Trade Area has been built and negotiations for a China-Japan-South Korea free trade area are underway. Regional integration is also in the works. Particularly, China's influence in the Asia Pacific region has risen sharply. All of these factors have created a sense of urgency for the United States.
The United States made a lot out of the Cheonan incident by making use of joint exercises to re-control the situation in Northeast Asia. It also took advantage of the subtle attitudes of the ASEAN Regional Forum and some ASEAN countries and greatly played up the so-called "threat" to speed its return to Southeast Asia.
By giving the aircraft carrier USS George Washington's free access to the Yellow Sea and South China Sea, the United States seems to tell the world that "Asia-Pacific and the ocean are still dominated by the United States."