China Flexes Its Muscles – Gordon G. Chang
From The Wall Street Journal:
The U.S. Navy said it was “befuddled” by Beijing’s last-minute November denial of a long-arranged port call for the Kitty Hawk carrier group in Hong Kong. This turndown was on top of China’s refusal to provide shelter for two U.S. minesweepers seeking refuge from a storm, and its rejection of a routine visit for a frigate, the Reuben James. The Air Force also received a “no” for a regular C-17 flight to resupply the American consulate in Hong Kong.
The immediate causes of these rebuffs may be American arms sales to Taiwan, which China regards as sovereign territory, and the award of a congressional medal to the Dalai Lama, with whom Beijing has had a multi-decade spat. But so many turndowns suggest the decisions were made at the highest levels of the Chinese central government — and at a time when senior leaders are reorienting the country’s foreign policy. Washington’s relations with Beijing, in short, appear headed for increasing disagreement and tension. [Full Text]
Gordon G. Chang is the author of “The Coming Collapse of China”.
