Beijing Reopens the Doors of Asia to Washington

A year ago, it would not have been utterly implausible to consider that America’s influence in Asia was dead and buried. All of Asia was in awe at the assertion and influence of the Chinese. It had become perfectly acceptable to pledge allegiance to the new leaders of the Asian world and distance one’s self from the sons of MacArthur. And then, in a couple of weeks, everything changed. Once again, that need for America is being felt fiercely, from New Delhi to Tokyo, and all throughout the states of Southeast Asia. Of course, when it comes to economics, it is toward China that eyes turn, but for matters of security, Washington is the one that is called upon.

Seemingly, the U.S. didn’t have to do anything in the end for China to roll out the red carpet — a China with a new outlook. There have been several deciding factors in China’s shift in ideas, with the first being the incident between a Chinese trawler and Japanese coast guard and the tension that followed. All of China’s neighbors have witnessed the infectious, malignant effect of the leadership from Beijing — including their strong presence in the South China Sea, in particular the recent arrest of Vietnamese fishermen. Furthermore, they have witnessed China’s recent reluctance to react to the case of Cheonan, the South Korean warship, apparently sunk by a torpedo from Pyongyang, that came as a great shock in Seoul as well as in Tokyo. Since then, we have also noticed a silencing of the Japanese controversy regarding the presence of U.S. troops in Okinawa.

The backdrop for all of this, of course, is as much about the growing economic power as it is about the expanding military power of Beijing. Even if it is merely symbolic, the fact that China now finds itself ranked the second largest economy strengthens the anxiety of Japan, as one would expect. Moreover, countries with border disputes with Beijing — of which there are many — have been closely observing recent military activity, which was deliberately leaked to the media. First, there were operations in Kazakhstan, where Chinese commentators noted that for the first time planes and helicopters took off from China to go work in neighboring territories. Then, another “first” that saw a Chinese fighter jet fly to Turkey, a distant country for China that, what’s more, is a member of NATO.

At the same time, China cannot help but feel surrounded by the United States; to the east, strong U.S. military presence in Korea and Japan; to the west, the pretext of a war in Afghanistan, a U.S. foothold in Central Asia. China is furious at the vague attempt by Washington to interfere in the resolution of regional conflicts, be it those in the South China Sea or between Beijing and Tokyo. What’s more, the recent acts of President Obama have not helped calm the nerves when his administration described Japan as “the cornerstone of [their] engagement in the Asia-Pacific.” A few days earlier, Obama stated that India will eventually have a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, which in Beijing has been seen as an attempt to counteract China’s influence.

In Australia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has just reiterated as well that the U.S. has been a power in the Pacific for 100 years and would remain so. In an effort to reassure regional allies, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has also confirmed a “strengthening” of military presence in Asia. Washington and Beijing, the giants on the Asian scene, both have their moments of grandeur before them. These two empires have ideologies and opinions that are on completely opposite sides of the political spectrum. Americans want a unipolar world and a multipolar Asia, whereas the Chinese dream of a multipolar world but a unipolar Asia.