BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Three days after U.S. defense chief James Mattis' remarks on the (Senkaku/)Diaoyu Islands in Tokyo, China conducted a new round of regular patrol in the territorial waters of the (Senkaku/)Diaoyu Islands on Monday, showing the world its firm will and determination to safeguard its national sovereignty.
During his first Asia-Pacific debut as defense chief, the former four-star general of the U.S. Marine Corps said Friday that the U.S.-Japan mutual defense treaty applies to the (Senkaku/)Diaoyu Islands, which was criticized by the Chinese Foreign Ministry as "wrong remarks."
Washington has long used the (Senkaku/)Diaoyu Islands as a fulcrum for an "off-shore balance," i.e., maneuvering Japan while pressuring China in East Asia, particularly under the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama, who zealously promoted a "Pivot to Asia" strategy during the last eight years.
However, the decaying U.S. credibility in East Asia as well as the rising tensions in the region should make it clear to the new president, Donald Trump, that his predecessor's "Pivot to Asia" strategy is a deal with no winners and meddling in the waters around the uninhabited islands for so-called "offshore balance" will never pay off.
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