By Shannon Tiezzi
China sees the relationship as essentially stable while many in the U.S. believe a policy change is overdue.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry left for Beijing and Seoul on Saturday, only a few days after a Wall Street Journal report, citing anonymous U.S. military officials, suggested Washington might be looking to step up its role in the South China Sea (my colleague Prashanth has more on what a more robust U.S. presence in that region might look like). The U.S. State Department insisted that Kerry’s visit was to be focused on “establishing the groundwork both for productive outcomes at the Strategic and Economic Dialogue … [and] for the planned state visit by President Xi Jinping in the fall.” But given the timing of Kerry’s trip, he seemed destined for an unpleasant reception in Beijing.
On Wednesday, for example, China’s ambassador to the U.S., Cui Tiankai, blasted Washington’s role in the South China Sea disputes in an interview with Chinese media outlets. He accused the United States of adopting double standards toward the disputes by criticizing China and overlooking similar construction and reclamation activities on disputed islands by other claimants. Cui also warned against a proposal that would see the United States send naval vessels and aircraft within 12 nautical miles of certain Chinese-claimed features.
Meanwhile, a senior State Department official told the press before Kerry’s visit that “he will leave his Chinese interlocutors in absolutely no doubt that the United States remains committed to maintain freedom of navigation and to exercise our legitimate rights as pertain to overflight and movement on the high seas.” The official added that Kerry would also emphasize that China’s land reclamation is not going to strengthen its territorial claims.
Read the full story at The Diplomat