China Sees \'Cold War\' In US\'s Australia Plan
http://dervishcom.blogspot.com/2011/12/china-sees-cold-war-in-uss-australia.html
BEIJING, China's Ministry of National Defense criticized U.S. plans to establish a permanent military presence in Australia, accusing Washington of acting antagonistically in the region and perpetuating a Cold War mentality.
The remarks by Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng were China's strongest reaction yet to the announcement by President Barack Obama in Novemberof the plan to strengthen military ties with Australia and to eventually station 2,500 Marines on Australia's remote northern coast.
Nonetheless, the response was relatively mild in that it didn't warn that the new military presence would damage wider U.S.-China military ties.
“We believe this is all a manifestation of a Cold War mentality,“ Mr. Geng said, according to text of his remarks posted on the Defense Ministry's website. “We hope relevant parties do more things that are beneficial for the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region, rather than the opposite.“
U.S.-China military relations have been frosty amid growing U.S. concern over the transparency of China's military modernization and its aggressive handling of territorial disputes with neighbors in the South China Sea and elsewhere. The Obama administration's decision in September to upgrade Taiwan's fleet of F-16 fighter jets has aggravated ties.
The military agreement between Australia and the U.S. is a cornerstone of Mr. Obama's strategy to increase U.S. strategic engagement in Asia. About 250 Marines will be stationed in Darwin by mid-2012, according to the agreement, widely seen as a gesture to smaller countries in the Asia-Pacific region that have deep-seated concerns about Beijing's growing strategic reach.
Beijing this week announced its first aircraft carrier had departed for a second sea trial. The carrier, a retrofitted Soviet ship, is a point of pride for the Communist Party.
The remarks by Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng were China's strongest reaction yet to the announcement by President Barack Obama in Novemberof the plan to strengthen military ties with Australia and to eventually station 2,500 Marines on Australia's remote northern coast.
Nonetheless, the response was relatively mild in that it didn't warn that the new military presence would damage wider U.S.-China military ties.
“We believe this is all a manifestation of a Cold War mentality,“ Mr. Geng said, according to text of his remarks posted on the Defense Ministry's website. “We hope relevant parties do more things that are beneficial for the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region, rather than the opposite.“
U.S.-China military relations have been frosty amid growing U.S. concern over the transparency of China's military modernization and its aggressive handling of territorial disputes with neighbors in the South China Sea and elsewhere. The Obama administration's decision in September to upgrade Taiwan's fleet of F-16 fighter jets has aggravated ties.
The military agreement between Australia and the U.S. is a cornerstone of Mr. Obama's strategy to increase U.S. strategic engagement in Asia. About 250 Marines will be stationed in Darwin by mid-2012, according to the agreement, widely seen as a gesture to smaller countries in the Asia-Pacific region that have deep-seated concerns about Beijing's growing strategic reach.
Beijing this week announced its first aircraft carrier had departed for a second sea trial. The carrier, a retrofitted Soviet ship, is a point of pride for the Communist Party.
