Hillary's China Visit: Difficult to Cover up America's Awkwardness

American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to China has captured the world’s attention. Why she is returning to China again after four months has become a conversation topic for some elite analysts. Hillary’s visit comes at a very delicate time; since America’s return to the Asia-Pacific, the South China Sea and the Diaoyu Islands have steadily become more and more heated issues. China and India are reinstating military cooperation that had been broken off four years prior. Add to that the American presidential election, and a visit by Hillary Clinton during this time is both simple, yet complicated.

It is simple because Hillary Clinton is America’s Secretary of State, and her behavior, as well as everything she says and does, represent American interests. For the sake of American interests, she wastes no energy in rushing off to many different countries, running around non-stop, mixing both truth and appearances, finding success one way or another and using the carrot-and-stick approach: In one hand is a carrot, and in the other is a stick. Both hands are exerting a heavy influence on China’s near and distant neighbors, protecting American interests. Speaking objectively, it could be said that as a politician – and since taking up the post of America’s foreign minister – Hillary has been diligent in carrying out her assignment. She has been successful; America, on the other hand, has failed.

It is complicated because while Hillary is America’s secretary of state, America is no longer its former self. In terms of America’s position on the global political stage, it is clearly pushing down one problem only to have another crop up. This year, America is fighting to regain hegemony, awakening China’s interest. In reality, America’s talk of returning to the Asia-Pacific reveals America’s decline and China’s rise. Public opinion is of the belief that America’s goal in stating they will return to the Asia-Pacific is to inhibit China’s steady rise. This would explain why all of America’s actions revolve around China, and everywhere that they are having official visits has a connection with China.

In the past 60 years, academic circles have repeatedly debated the question of whether America is already or beginning to decline. Factually, this can be argued from several angles; there is no doubt, however, that even if America is not going downhill, it is definitely not progressing. In a competition between the world’s superpowers where each one is filled with strengths, America is like a boat battling the current: Not moving forward is the same as falling behind. America knows that if it ignores China’s development, there will be a peak decisive moment sooner or later. Rather than waiting until this moment to exert control, as it did with the Soviet Union, it is easier to start obstructing China from all areas now.

Foreign media reports prove America’s decline; Hillary’s appointment as secretary of state signaled that America was trying to put forward “smart power.” What is smart power? Smart power is the use of threats, enticements or compensation – rather than military force – to influence or maintain relations between states. Since Hillary Clinton’s appointment, she is said to have made the most official visits [to other countries] by a secretary of state in American history and is referred to as intelligent and capable. Isn’t this, then, confirming America’s decrease in hard power?

In June of this year, Defense Secretary Panetta visited Singapore, Vietnam and India, rapidly finishing what was his second assignment in Asia during his role as defense secretary. During this time, he forged new partnerships and restored balance. What is restoring balance? Balancing whom? Common opinion after these visits is that Panetta is still pointing swords at China and that the so-called Asia-Pacific military affairs “rebalancing” is really just an attempt to check China’s rise.

If China was not on the rise, Asia’s rise would not be a discussion topic; America would not have a need for strengthening its strategy in the Asia-Pacific or for smart power and rebalancing. On the other hand, it is just like the era of American-Soviet battles for power: revisions of policies and various strategies by America all centered around the goal of controlling Western Europe and hindering the Soviet Union. Myanmar, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia and Cambodia all have a lasting impression of America’s containment of China. Isn’t this confirming that America has met its match?

Of course, as experts have analyzed, U.S.-China relations are always in a state of conflict without actually breaking out into fighting, no matter how many problems and changes occur. The next few decades will perhaps not see any military confrontation. America is not willing to go to war with China over disputes about islands in East and Southeast Asia, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will stand idly by.

America really likes to see China in continuous territorial disputes with other Asian countries. The South China Sea, Diaoyu Islands, Taiwan, southern Tibet, etc. Which of those doesn’t have some sort of American presence? At the same time that it is holding joint military exercises, America is also singing a different tune. On the one hand, it is claiming to have no stance and expressing neutrality. On the other, it’s hoping that China will face more and more difficulties. On one hand, it hopes territorial disputes between China and other countries will impede Chinese development, while on the other hand, it fears those other countries will really provoke China and lead to military conflict. When the time comes, America will be faced with an extremely difficult decision. War breaks out in an instant; how could America handle everything?

Though she tries hard to make everything appear to be fine on the outside, even the valiant Hillary is having difficulty covering up America’s awkward situation.