The 'Asian NATO' Containment of China Is Doomed To Fail

During a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel yesterday, Chinese President and Central Military Commission Chairman Xi Jinping suggested that within the larger framework of establishing a new type of great power relations, the U.S. and China should develop a new model of military relations as well: one without conflict or confrontation. Several days ago in New York, China’s ambassador to the U.S., Cui Tiankai, pointed out that China welcomes a U.S. that serves a constructive role in Asia but is against any intentions to form an “Asian NATO.” The fact is that U.S. attempts to form military alliances and surround its adversaries has upset the peace and stability of the world. China wishes to establish new models of great power and military relations with the U.S., but it does not fear confrontation or conflict, and any U.S. plans to check the rise of China with an Asian NATO are doomed to fail.

Military exchanges between the U.S. and China are an integral component of relations between the two nations. Both are major players in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. holds influence across the globe and China is a rising power, but the Pacific Ocean has room enough to easily accommodate both. As long as both sides reject conflict and confrontation and effectively manage disputes and sensitive issues, they are certainly capable of pushing development in the direction of a new type of great power relations. However, the U.S. has implemented a “rebalancing strategy” in Asia in an effort to consolidate its position as global hegemon, roping in Japan and the Philippines to bolster its military alliance with an eye to containing China. And on Hagel’s most recent tour of Asia, he remained supportive of Japan and the Philippines in their claims in the East and South China Seas. The U.S. has also accelerated the shift of its military resources to the Asia-Pacific region. These are the primary factors that have caused tension and affected regional peace and stability.

Creating a military alliance to surround adversaries is a product of the Cold War. It will inevitably result in increased friction around the globe, perhaps even to the point of armed conflict that brings the world once more to the brink of war. The current predicament in Ukraine can be laid at the feet of the U.S.-led West. In recent years, NATO (at the behest of the U.S.) has actively expanded into Eastern Europe and incited one color revolution after another within Ukraine and other countries bordering Russia, constituting a grave threat to Russia’s security. The result is that Russia has cracked down hard in an effort to reverse these events, and Ukraine has instead come apart at the seams. As to this unexpected result, the U.S. has done rather little beyond offering a token verbal protestation, further betraying the waning national power beneath its facade of strength.

China has no intention to provoke disputes and conflict in the Asia-Pacific region, and neither will it utilize military force to coerce or threaten other states. However, China is amply prepared, militarily or otherwise, to deal with any nonpeaceful behavior forced upon it and will stop at nothing to safeguard the core interest of its territorial sovereignty. One hopes that the U.S. will abandon its world views of binary opposition, take a moment to reflect upon history, come to accept China, and update its antiquated schools of thought on foreign policy to avoid shooting itself in the foot by generating conflict and confrontation.