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| US Marines embark on the USNS Sacagawea to begin Exercise Koa Moana 15.2 with East Timor |
The United States is moving its troops further away from the South China Sea because of its confidence in its long-range precision weapons and its strategy of getting other countries in and out of the region to become actively involved in teaming up against China, according to a Chinese military expert.
In a commentary penned for China's nationalistic Global Times tabloid, naval military expert Li Jie stated that America's decision to send warships and surveillance aircraft to the South China Sea, where China has been accused of aggressive conduct such as land reclamation and military constructions on disputed islands, has not produced the positive results desired by Washington. China has continued to go about its business, while the US has been criticized of inflaming tensions and risking misunderstandings that could lead to conflicts, Li said.
As a result, the US appears to have scaled back its criticism of China, Li said, arguing that the recent remarks about China's conduct in the South China Sea by US assistant secretary of state Daniel Russel are considerably more "gentle" than those of US defense secretary Ash Carter at the Shangri-La Dialogue back in late May.
Instead of increasing its military presence in the region, Li believes Washington is now implementing its "rebalance to Asia" strategy in a different way.
Read the full story at Want China Times