Rebalancing puts brake on better relations

With its unrivaled military might, the US tends to believe that a quick solution to complex problems is simply to display or even use its military muscle. In the minds of some US leaders, relocating 60 percent of the US navy to the Asia-Pacific by 2020 will deter any challenge to the US' self-proclaimed global leadership. In this sense, the military rebalance is intended to intimidate.

The US government has never been honest about its rebalancing, claiming it is not aimed at China, a statement that few, even in the US, believe. Most analysts describe the rebalancing as a move to counter China's growing influence. The US certainly does not need to make such a massive military adjustment for the sake of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The US government has been skillful in claiming the moral high ground, assuming the role of policeman not just in East Asia, but all over the world, and claiming its intention is to maintain peace, security and prosperity for all.

This has been shown to be the lie it is by its spying on imagined foes and real friends alike.

The US impartiality would be quickly called into question when it starts to divide countries into key allies, allies, partners, emerging partners and adversaries. It is like letting someone refereeing a soccer match when one side comprises entirely of his siblings. It is not going to be a fair game.

Even worse, the US has repeatedly tried to prove to its allies that the US, regardless of its declining influence, still calls the shots in global and regional affairs.

A recent seminar I attended on US export control is a reminder why the US has designed such a paranoid rebalancing strategy aimed at China. On a short list of countries US companies are prohibited from exporting to, China is included alongside a few other countries that the US claims sponsor terrorism and proliferate nuclear technology.

Since the two nations' presidents met in Sunnylands, California, this June, there have been signs that relations are warming. Military exchanges, which have long lagged behind other aspects of the bilateral relationship, are said to be improving.

But such efforts won't help much if the US does not fundamentally change its Cold War style thinking embedded in its rebalancing strategy.

The author, based in Washington, is deputy editor of China Daily USA. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily 11/08/2013 page8)