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| USS Lassen (Image: Flickr User - U.S. Pacific Fleet) |
By Nhung Bui
How did Chinese commentators respond after last week’s Freedom of Navigation patrol?
On October 27, the Obama administration ordered the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen to patrol the area near China’s man-made islands and sail within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef. The Lassen was followed by a Chinese guided-missile destroyer and a naval patrol ship. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a news conference on the same day that the “illegal” action of the Lassen threatened China’s sovereignty and that China will not “swallow silently any damage or threat to its sovereign rights and legitimate security interests.”
This commentary will focus on the effect of the Lassen patrol on Chinese nationalist sentiment. How did Chinese commentators and the public regard the incident? Could nationalist sentiment influence China’s foreign policies or constrain leaders? Would the Chinese leadership take advantage of this tide of anti-U.S. sentiment to make bolder statements about China’s willingness to defend its “sovereignty” in the South China Sea?
Drawing from a reading of news reports and editorials in major official Chinese media outlets in both Mandarin and English (among them People’s Daily, Xinhua, and Global Times) as well as social media sites such as Sina Weibo, the tentative conclusion is that commentators and popular opinion, even though indignant about the USS Lassen patrol, differ on how China should respond to the United States. One group supports tougher policies, such as a commitment to use force and even go to war, if further transgressions of Chinese sovereignty follow, while another group argues that China should not exaggerate the issue and escalate tensions with the U.S. This suggests that despite the rise in assertive nationalism after Xi Jinping took power, moderate voices have not been entirely eclipsed.
Read the full story at The Diplomat