Foreign and Military Affairs
More infringements anticipated
By Wu Jiao (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-01-30 11:22
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The new round of American arms sales to Taiwan, though coming on short notice, should be no surprise.
The constant frictions between the two countries lately, including the recent Google case, form a sharp contrast to the honeymoon period in bilateral relations last year. US President Barack Obama in November greatly impressed many Chinese as "being humble and friendly", though the visit was strongly criticized by the opposition within the US as "a failure" because he got no compromise from China on the pet issues of human rights and RMB reevaluation.
Yet what China should bear in mind is that Sino-US relations have always been full of ups and downs, as changing domestic and international political issues set the tone of America’s China policy. The coming mid-term elections have made the US domestic political climate more delicate. The declining influence of Ma Ying-Jeou’s administration in Taiwan also must be taken into consideration.
The arms sales will be just one of the serial infringements this year, preceded by Obama's anticipated meeting with the Dalai Lama and more trade protectionism measures. More problems between the two countries are expected in the long run as China rises to be one of world's major players, and the US shows no sign of giving up its "contain China" policy.
However, as world affairs today need cooperation from each side, the US should come to gradually recognize that a good relationship with China is at the core of its self-interest.
