Who Is the US Trying To Intimidate with Its Double-Dealing in the South and East China Seas?

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If the U.S. thinks itself the stabilizing hand here, then it's being highly naive.

Who Is the US Trying To Intimidate with Its Double-Dealing in the South and East China Seas?
Huanqiu, China
By Editorial
Translated By Darius Vukasinovic
10 February 2014
Edited by Sean Feely

On Feb. 7, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced to both the Japanese foreign minister and local media that the U.S. neither recognizes nor accepts China's establishment of an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea. Moreover, he said that the U.S. will protect the Japanese islets claimed by China in the event of any attack on them. Only a few days earlier, U.S. officials openly called into question China's "nine lines" policy for the South China Sea and strongly condemned Beijing over rumors that China would establish an air defense identification zone over the area. The U.S. has clearly announced its intentions here, and this has left China disgusted; throughout every province, Chinese people are in utter astonishment.

It must be pointed out that no one in Asia desires or intends to go to war. This is a result of friction amid those who have the capacity to start a conflict. Japan, the Philippines and others have created this concept of a "rising China threat" for the purposes of their own personal gain, and with one glance, the U.S. can see their games for what they are. But for Washington to play along by tolerating their displays of pathos — this turns fantasy into reality. This is dangerous.

The U.S. has sent the wrong message here. This act will possibly fuel Japan and the Philippines continuing to pursue their ambitions. It will increase the probability of violent confrontations in Asia. Moreover, it will admit further confusion into U.S.-China relations and will erode the fragile trust that exists between these two great nations. If the White House thinks these recent acts are a convenient strategy for solving East Asia's issues, then the U.S. is a warped superpower — at its core, barely superior to either Japan or the Philippines.

The U.S. has never left the Asia-Pacific region, yet it has clearly proclaimed its intentions for a "return to the Asia-Pacific." By the looks of things, the U.S. is somewhat befuddled here.