China's Policy of Distraction
Summary
Chinese parliamentary leader Li Peng told opposition Japanese
politicians in Beijing that Japan must have its own voice in
politics and security. He also said that Japanese forces are
sufficient to defend Japan, and U.S. troops stationed there are a
symbol of U.S. hegemony. Beijing is increasingly concerned that its
interests will bring it into conflict with the United States in the
future. To delay or avoid such a confrontation, Beijing is
undertaking a policy of distraction, actively seeking to drive a
wedge between Washington and its regional allies.
Analysis
Chinese parliamentary leader Li Peng told a Japanese political
delegation to Beijing that Tokyo must have its own voice in
international issues, according to Kyodo. Li, chairman of the
standing committee of China's National People's Congress, was
speaking with Hajime Ishii, vice president of Japan's opposition
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). Li told Ishii that Japan's defense
forces were capable of defending Japan, calling U.S. forces in
Japan a symbol of U.S. hegemony.
Li's comments are part of an emerging Chinese policy of distraction
aimed at the United States. Beijing is concerned that its own
interests and those of Washington will inevitably clash, but China
is not prepared to confront the United States at this time.
Instead, it is seeking ways to undermine the close coordination
between Washington and its Asian allies particularly South Korea
and Japan.
China and the United States have long maintained cautious
relations. While Washington used ties with Beijing to counter
Moscow during the Cold War, it continued to offer military support
to rival Taipei. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, U.S.
troops remained in Northeast Asia to balance China, as well as to
counter a potential North Korean threat. More recently, Washington
has supported China's entry into the World Trade Organization in
hopes of using economic incentives to influence Chinese policy.
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