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South China Morning Post, Hong Kong

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Who are Obama and Hagel to Preach 'Responsibility' to China? (People's Daily, China)

 

Has the United States lost the credibility to decide what nations are responsible, and which ones are not? This editorial from the state-run People's Daily asserts that after all of its global misbehavior and double standards, Washington is in no position to lecture the People's Republic of China on 'responsibility' in the South China Sea or anywhere else.

 

EDITORIAL

 

Translated By John Chen

 

April 27, 2014

 

People's Republic of China - People's Daily - Original Article (Chinese)

Lieutenant General John Wissler, commander of Marine expeditionary forces in Japan, remarked recently that he would quickly retake the Senkaku island group and return it to Japan if China were to invade. Beijing is none too pleased by the statement.

 

CCTV NEWS VIDEO, CHINA: Professor Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University, comments on President Obama's security assurances to Japan, Apr. 25, 00:04:43RealVideo

During his speech at National Defense University earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was at pains to show that America's "rebalancing strategy" in the Asia-Pacific is not intended as a move to contain China. Hagel said that the United States welcomes the rise of a prosperous, strong, and responsible China, which is in the American interest. In recent years, these words have been repeatedly uttered by U.S. politicians. While they welcome China's rise, they say the country should be "responsible." The implication is that China has yet to become a responsible country. On what issues is China irresponsible? They don't say, but what they mean is China's establishment of an Air Identification Zone in the East China Sea, and China's active stance in the East and South China Seas.

 

The fact, however, is that every country has a right to designate Air Defense Identification Zones. Indeed, it was the United States that first introduced the idea. The disputes in the East and South China Seas were provoked by Japan and the Philippines. America is fully aware that these countries bear responsibility for their provocations. For conniving with these two countries and obscuring the distinction between right and wrong, the U.S. should be held responsible for any fallout.

 

The U.S. might have a better chance of rallying others to its cause if it were to behave like a responsible country itself. Unfortunately, the opposite is generally the case. Not long ago, the United States blatantly ignored the sovereignty of Granada and invaded that country, then invaded Panama to arrest the president of that nation. A more recent example is the Iraq War. When U.N. weapons inspectors said they had yet to verify their findings, the United States forced them to withdraw, then, based on the pretext that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, it launched a war without authorization from the U.N. Security Council. The war led to upwards of a million innocent civilian casualties. This wasn't just irresponsible, it amounted to a war crime, and war crimes charges have already been raised with the International Court of Justice. However, the United States has so far failed to express even a hint  of remorse. Is that the way that a "responsible" country should act?

 

On the pretext of fighting terrorism, America has launched abusive drone strikes in various countries around the Middle East and the horn of Africa without the consent of the relevant governments. Without providing notice to Islamabad, U.S. Navy Seals launched an incursion into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden certainly deserved it, but did his crimes justify American disrespect for Pakistan's sovereignty? Where is American "responsibility" toward the international community reflected in these actions, which violate both the sovereignty of other countries and established international norms?

 

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America's double standards are a reflection of its own irresponsibility. The most obvious example is America's stance on Kosovo and the way its stance on the Crimea referendum were diametrically opposite. This simply provided Russia with a justification for its own excesses and its land grab in Crimea.

 

First, in word and deed the United States is in no possible to rule on the irresponsibility of others. Recently, as was noted, the U.S. Defense Secretary said that the U.S. will not take sides in territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas. On the other hand, though, it asserts that the Diaoyu Island issue [aka/the Senkaku Islands issue] is covered by the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. What's more, the U.S. commander [Lieutenant General John Wissler] in Okinawa actually announced publicly that he would therefore help seize the Diaoyu Islands [if they were invaded by China].

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The White House claims that its "Asia rebalancing strategy" is for maintaining peace and stability in the region, yet it overtly and covertly lends its support to provocative actions by Japan and the Philippines. The U.S. has encouraged the amendment of Japan's constitution, its military expansion and its lifting of a ban on weapons exports. These irresponsible policies run contrary to the maintenance of peace and stability in the Asia Pacific.

 

http://worldmeets.us/images/Hagel-Chang-Wanquan_pic.jpg

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his China counterpart, Defense

Minister Chang Wanquan, head for a press conference, after Hagel

arrived on his first visit to Beijing as defense chief, April 8.

 

Obama is on a four-nation trip in Asia. This will again offer people an opportunity to observe whether the United States lives up to it claim to be a "responsible country." Forecasting Obama's intentions won't be hard. The countries Obama is visiting have multiple territorial disputes with China. Will Obama seek to act like a peacemaker, or will he fan the flames? Given the recent divergence between America's words and actions, there is little faith in Hagel's assurances that U.S. policy is not intended to contain China. Let us watch and judge the U.S. by its deeds.

 

SEE ALSO ON THIS:
Huanqiu, China:
Hagel Must Be Told: China is Not Russia
Global Times, China: Biden Should 'Show Kindness' Toward China
Daily Tribune, Philippines: China ADZ 'Should Not Have Been Done': Philippines Defense Chief
People's Daily, China: U.S. and Japan Must Be Shown: 'White is Not Black'
Global Times, China: Continued Dependence on America is Bad for Japan
Huanqui, China: China Must Show 'Courage of its Convictions' in Face of Japan-U.S. Hostility
Huanqui, China: For Helping America Return to Asia, Vietnam will ‘Feel China's Pain’
Huanqui, China: Confronting America Requires Wisdom and Stamina – Not Warships
Global Times, China: China Must Draw a Red Line Against U.S. 'Encirclement'
Global Times, China: Vietnamese Should Beware of U.S.' 'Suspicious Cozying Up'
Mainichi Shimbun, Japan: China 'Must Not Be Permitted' to Push Around Neighbors
Global Times, China: America ‘Disqualified’ as Global Human Rights Judge
Xinhua, China: Human Rights Record of the United States in 2011
Rodong Sinmun, North Korea: America by Far World’s Leading Human Rights Abuser
Yezhednevniy Zhurnal, Russia: Putin is Mistaken to Favor China Over the United States
Huanqiu, China: U.S. Should Keep its Nuclear Weapons Away from Koreas
Global Times, China: America ‘Disqualified’ as Global Human Rights Judge
Ibaraki Shimbun, Japan: Embarrassing Words of Japan's Leaders 'Ring Absurdly Hollow'
Mainichi Shimbun, Japan: Oliver Stone Tells Japan: 'Admit Wrongs; Stand Up to U.S.'
Asahi Shimbun, Japan: Oliver Stone Urges Young Japanese to Learn Their History
Global Times, China: China Must Warn the World of Japan's Growing 'Insanity'
The Hankyoreh, South Korean: On Korean Independence Day, Japan Must Admit to its Crimes
JoongAng Ilbo, South Korean: Like Germans and Nazis, Japanese Must Admit to Imperial Crimes
Nara Shimbun, Japan: Japanese Must Continue to Lead 'Battle' to Abolish War
JoongAng Ilbo, South Korea: U.S. Shielding of Emperor Hirohito Behind Japan's Denial of History
Rue 89, France: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a Threat to Democratic Japan
Japan Times, Japan: Osaka Mayor Refuses to Retract 'Comfort Women' Remarks
J-Cast, Japan: Why Further Humiliate 'Comfort Women' by Calling them 'Sex Slaves'?
Ryukyu Shimpo, Japan: Abe to Humiliate Okinawa with 'Restoration of Sovereignty Day'
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Hokkaido Shimbun, Japan: Shinzo Abe Must End Gamesmanship Over Post-War Constitution
Iwate Nippo, Japan: Imposed 66 Years Ago, Time Has Come to Revise 'Pacific Constitution'
Ryukyu Shimpo Shimbun, Japan: Okinawans Will Not be 'Pawned Away' to Curry U.S. Favor
Okinawa Times, Japan: Futenma Relocation Plan a 'Slap in the Face' to Okinawa People
Ryukyu Shimpo Shimbun, Japan: Battle of Okinawa Victims Deserve Better from Government
Okinawa Times, Japan: Okinawans will 'Spew Magma' Over Crimes of U.S. Forces
Global Times, China: Continued Dependence on America is Bad for Japan
Ibaraki Shimbun, Japan: After Osprey Deployment, Japan Government 'Cannot Be Trusted'
Chunichi Shimbun, Japan: On Okinawa Battle Anniversary, People Feel Abandoned
Ryukyu Shimpo, Japan: Okinawans ‘Unswervingly’ Against ‘Defective’ Osprey
Tokushima Shimbun, Japan: Okinawa Deserves Freedom from American Bases
Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan: Okinawa Governor 'Adament' About Osprey
Asahi Shimbun, Japan: Opposition to Osprey Deployment Grows
The Okinawa Times, Japan: It's Time to End Japan's 'Servitude to America'
Nishinippon Shimbun, Japan: It's Imperative for Japan to Look Outward Again
Nishinippon Shimbun, Japan: Revise ‘Inequitous’ U.S.-Japan Security Deal
Ryukyu Shimpo Shimbun, Japan: After Quake, Japan Can Ill Afford U.S. Base Repair
People's Daily, China: Australia Should Avoid Helping U.S. Hurt China's Interests
Australia: Aussie Coverage of Obama's Visit to Darwin; His Challenge to China
Isen Shimbun, Japan: Despite its Mistakes, Japan Needs U.S. More than Ever

 

 

 

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Posted By Worldmeets.US Apr. 27, 2014 5:49pm