US officials really need to move away from the essentially pointless exercise of asking Beijing to explain itself. When asked Tuesday about China’s recent actions in the South China Sea, vice chief of naval operations Adm. Michelle Howard told the Wall Street Journal, “I think it’s now time for China to talk about what the reclamation of land means…From my perspective, no one is saying they are putting a resort out there, so someone needs to explain what they are putting out there.”
The admiral’s tough talk on China is welcome, but it’s unclear what the demand for an explanation is going to achieve. It’s hard to imagine the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson issuing a statement explaining that Beijing wants to assert control over disputed territories, wants to put itself in a position to enforce a potential air defense identification zone, and wants an ability to more easily project power in maritime Southeast Asia. Not going to happen.
On the other hand, if China were to respond with an entirely benign explanation for its activities—“actually, Admiral Howard, we are going to build a resort on Fiery Cross Reef, and your first night’s stay is on us!”—Washington would not believe it.
Moreover, the answer to the question, honest or otherwise, is less important than one might think. China could be building refuges for orphaned puppies on reclaimed land in the South China Sea, but that wouldn’t change the fact that the island-building is brazenly assertive, raises tensions with neighbors, makes a negotiated settlement of disputes less likely, and poses a threat to freedom of the seas.
It’s fairly clear why China is doing what it is doing. Asking Beijing to justify its actions does little more than provide Washington with reason to delay responding to those actions in a meaningful way.
Follow AEIdeas on Twitter at @AEIdeas.
from AEI » Latest Content http://ift.tt/1PWTv8h
0 التعليقات:
Post a Comment