US, China Dance Around Each Other Warily

choi

(1) David S Cloud, China Wary of US Military Moves in Asia-Pacific; As Defense Secretary Leon Panetta visits Beijing this week, the US is forging closer defense ties to countries near China and renewing its focus in the South Pacific. Los Angeles Times, Sept 16, 2012
http://www.latimes.com/news/nati ... netta-asia-20120916,0,6447920.story
(Panetta is making his first visit to China)

(a) Quote:

(i) "When a senior US general met in Beijing recently with Lt Gen Cai Yingting, the deputy chief of China's armed forces, Cai forcefully objected to America's expanding military presence in Asia and the Pacific, describing it as an effort to encircle his country. 'Why are you containing us?' Cai demanded

(ii) "In the latest example, US officials said they hoped to resume visits by Navy warships to New Zealand for the first time since 1984. Even though the South Pacific nation is a close American ally, Washington suspended a mutual defense treaty and most military cooperation with Wellington after it passed a law barring vessels carrying nuclear weapons or using nuclear power in its waters.

"US officials said they were exploring whether New Zealand might repeal its ban on nuclear-powered ships, which in the U.S. fleet includes submarines and aircraft carriers. But the Pentagon also is considering changing its policy against sending even nonnuclear Navy vessels to New Zealand.

"As a result, Panetta will be the first US Defense secretary to visit New Zealand in more than three decades. * * *

"Driving the change is an emerging competition for influence in the South Pacific, where China is cultivating tiny island nations by building roads, harbors and other development projects.

(iii) "The Obama administration is in talks with the Philippine government on regaining access to the Subic Bay naval base and Clark Air Base, two Cold War-era installations on or near the South China Sea. Pentagon planners say they are not interested in returning US military personnel permanently to the Philippines but rather see it as a possible logistics hub

(iv) "US Pacific Command hopes to regain access to U-Tapao air base in Thailand, which the US used during the Vietnam War to base B-52 bombers.


(b) Note:
(i) Quotation (i) refers to 副总参谋长蔡英挺 中将
(ii) Quotation (ii) does not say "an emerging competition" between China and whom?  US, New Zealand (where New Zealanders "consider themselves a southwest Pacific power"), or both?
(iii) U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-Tapao_Royal_Thai_Navy_Airfield
(located approximately 90 miles (140 km) southeast of Bangkok; section 1 Name)

U-Tapao International Airport (for civil aviation) is close by.


(2) 美中贸易纠纷升级. VOA Chinese, Sept 17, 2012
http://www.voachinese.com/conten ... 120917/1509474.html
("就在美国即将向世贸组织投诉中国政府为本国汽车零件工业提供补贴之际，中国就美国新的关税法向世贸组织投诉。中国星期一向世贸组织控告美国对轮胎和厨房电器等30种产品提高关税")