From the JoongAng Daily, via IHT:
The fundamental issue is which alliance will prevail in East Asia, the autocratic coalition led by China that seeks to drive the United States from the region or the democratic grouping led by the United States that seeks a stable balance of political and military power in which trade and economic development flourishes…
The critical question today is whether the current confrontation will lead to hostilities. Another U.S. diplomat doesn’t think so: “It doesn’t make any sense,” he says. “There is no rational reason for such a war.” Many wars, however, have been started by irrational emotions that led to miscalculation. That is the danger for every nation involved in this dispute.
See also, “The role of China, Japan, and Korea in East Asia” from the Jakarta Post.
