By Shannon Tiezzi
Remarks at the S&ED show that China and the U.S. remain divided on their visions for the Asia-Pacific.
The sixth session of the annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue wrapped up in Beijing today. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi headed the strategic track, while Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang handled the economic track. With tensions running high between the two countries, participating officials mostly stuck to their talking points on heated issues like the South China Sea maritime disputes and military relations. Obviously, these issues will remain high-profile sources of tension in the near future. However, some interesting tidbits from the official comments reveal three other points of friction worth keeping an eye on.
First, the U.S. apparently pushed back hard on recent Chinese comments criticizing the alliance system in the Asia-Pacific. A senior State Department official expressed U.S. concern with speeches, including Xi Jinping’s remarks at CICA, that “sound very much like the old ‘Asia for the Asians’ concept.” According to the official, Kerry “explained very forcefully that the U.S. remains deeply committed to our alliance system.”
The official said the U.S. and China were engaged in an “ongoing discussion… about the regional architecture,” including how best to combine existing institutions with new ones (including CICA, which China aims to elevate into a regional security platform). However, the official also warned that China’s vision for Asia-Pacific security “is not built on the framework that has provided security and stability to the region for the last six-plus decades.” Ultimately, the U.S. continues to see its alliances as a stabilizing force for the region, while China believes the opposite. These competing visions for the Asia-Pacific security architecture bear watching over the coming years.
Read the full story at The Diplomat