The US clearly wants to encircle China, a prominent Chinese military commentator said yesterday in some of the bluntest criticism of US President Barack Obama’s recent diplomatic push into the Asia--Pacific region.
People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Major General Luo Yuan, well-known for his hawkish views, made the warning in a commentary about Obama’s visit to Asia that was published on the Web site of the People’s Daily (www.people.com.cn), the top paper of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Earlier this month, Obama told Asia-Pacific leaders that the US was “here to stay,” announced plans to set up a de facto military base in northern Australia and chided China for refusing to discuss its South China Sea disputes at -regional forums.
“The United States is making much of its ‘return to Asia,’ has been positioning pieces and forces on China’s periphery, and the intent is very clear — this is aimed at China, to contain China,” Luo wrote in the commentary, which quickly spread across the Chinese Internet.
“The United States has committed a fatal strategic error. It has misjudged its foes, it has placed its strategic focus in the wrong location and its strategic means are wrong,” Luo wrote.
The comments do not represent official policy — Beijing has reacted to Obama’s diplomatic push with calls for cooperation. However, they do illustrate the undercurrents of nationalist ire with Washington that Beijing’s policymakers face.
Luo was among several PLA officer-pundits who lambasted US policy earlier last year, before both governments moved to ease tensions over Taiwan, Tibet and other disputes.
Analysts have said that although the PLA is firmly under the thumb of the CCP, officer-analysts have been given some leeway to strike a tougher tone in their comments.
However, later last year, Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) made clear that he could ill-afford a new round of tensions that might sour ties with Washington ahead of next year, when he retires from power and the US is focused on its presidential race.
Hu admonished the military for letting officers speak on sensitive disputes, an academic familiar with official discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity said earlier.
However, Luo, at least, appears emboldened to speak out again.
He said the US should keep focused on its “war on terror” against Islamist militants.
“China has not provoked US interests, so what are you doing running to Asia to encircle China?” Luo wrote.
“If you shift your strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific, who will protect your own backyard? Don’t you worry about a second Sept. 11 incident?” he asked.
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