Kerry returns to Asia with the same message
- By James Deshaw Rae
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E-mail China.org.cn, January 28, 2016
Reportedly, the United States has sought more targeted sanctions on the DPRK carrier Air Koryo and more inspections of DPRK exports including those into China. Such pressures could undermine the limited influence China currently has in Pyongyang and would be unlikely to interdict the typical pattern of DPRK behavior.
Aside from the Korean Peninsula, Secretary Kerry visited Cambodia and Laos in preparation for the first ever U.S.-ASEAN summit in California, reasserting U.S. commitment to freedom of navigation and over-flight of the South China Sea.
In many ways, a brewing contest for influence in Southeast Asia is of greater intrigue than the fairly stable dynamics on the Korean Peninsula. Here, loyalties and sentiments are in flux, as both China and the United States vie for the support of each of the ten ASEAN members in regard to economic, financial, and security matters.
The Obama administration's rebalance toward Asia was given new life in 2015 with the advancement of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), while China's efforts were even more demonstrable with the quick formulation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). No formal statement was issued by either side on issues relating to Southeast Asia, though Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Kerry's visit to Southeast Asian countries "will help you perceive the situation in Asia on a more comprehensive basis and learn from those opinions of various parties in a more objective manner."
After all, Cambodia and Laos lean more toward China than to the United States. But there is no question that sovereignty issues over maritime disputes as well as diplomatic fealty in the regional tug of war overshadow the discussions.
Overall, the long period of open and cordial relations between the United States and China since diplomatic opening re-commenced in the 1970s is benefited by Secretary Kerry's visit to the region, and as Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated, hopefully the visit will strengthen mutual trust and eliminate strategic doubts.
James Deshaw Rae is an associate professor in the Department of Government at California State University, Sacramento, and a Fulbright Scholar (2011-2012) at China Foreign Affairs University.
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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