Wednesday, April 17, 2013

China Suggest That U.S., Protecting Power, Is Stirring Asia-Pacific Tension


A Chinese national defense paper, released by the Ministry of Defense on Tuesday, suggests that the United States was behind tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.  They claim that some country (referring to the US) is strengthening both their military and their alliances therefore escalating tensions in that area.  China’s response is to “safeguard its national unification, territorial integrity and development interests.” While this national defense paper was presented in Beijing at a news briefing, it holds little significance to China’s military officers.  But the paper does have symbolic significance, as it presents to the public the Communist Party’s stance.  The paper congratulates China on their strategic position.  “China has seized and made the most of this important period of strategic opportunities for its development, and its modernization achievements have captured world attention.” The paper was released after Secretary of State Kerry’s visit to Beijing last week.  This goal of his visit was to create better understanding and communication between the American and Chinese militaries.  The 40-page document gave some detail about the size and makeup of the Chinese forces, but appeared to omit some special forces from its count.  Dennis Blasko, former US defense attachĂ© at the American Embassy in Beijing stated that the paper contained little information of any importance.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/17/world/asia/china-suggests-us-is-stirring-tensions-in-asia.html?ref=world&_r=0

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