CHINA AS A FIRST TEST
Richard Halloran
The Washington Times, February 19, 2009
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on her first trip to Asia since taking office, with security issues high on the agenda. Lots of pretty diplomatic words have been expected from her and the Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian and Korean leaders with whom she confers.
Those suave utterances, however, mask stark underlying realities that affect the U.S. security posture in Asia. Those realities may confront Mrs. Clinton with difficult questions.
In Beijing, senior officers in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have been testing U.S. resolve for at least a dozen years. One after another commander of U.S. forces in this region has felt it prudent to caution the Chinese neither to miscalculate nor to underestimate American determination to remain a power in the Pacific.
Moreover, the government of President Hu Jintao and the Communist Party are beholden to the PLA to stay in power. They have become uneasy because the international economic crisis, China's own faltering economy and repeated outbreaks of civil unrest have brought into question their mandate to hold office.
Mrs. Clinton has indicated she plans to take a firm line with the Chinese. In written answers during her confirmation hearings, she said: "This is not a one-way effort. Much of what we will do depends on the choices China makes about its future at home and abroad."
Richard Halloran
The Washington Times, February 19, 2009
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on her first trip to Asia since taking office, with security issues high on the agenda. Lots of pretty diplomatic words have been expected from her and the Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian and Korean leaders with whom she confers.
Those suave utterances, however, mask stark underlying realities that affect the U.S. security posture in Asia. Those realities may confront Mrs. Clinton with difficult questions.
In Beijing, senior officers in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have been testing U.S. resolve for at least a dozen years. One after another commander of U.S. forces in this region has felt it prudent to caution the Chinese neither to miscalculate nor to underestimate American determination to remain a power in the Pacific.
Moreover, the government of President Hu Jintao and the Communist Party are beholden to the PLA to stay in power. They have become uneasy because the international economic crisis, China's own faltering economy and repeated outbreaks of civil unrest have brought into question their mandate to hold office.
Mrs. Clinton has indicated she plans to take a firm line with the Chinese. In written answers during her confirmation hearings, she said: "This is not a one-way effort. Much of what we will do depends on the choices China makes about its future at home and abroad."
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