Time to draw red line for China – U.S. former deputy sec

With the recent visit of United States President Barrack Obama in Asia and the signing of a US-Philippines defense pact, tensions have been rising between the two countries and China.

But amid the conflicts, former deputy secretary of state in the first Obama administration said in an interview with The Nikkei in Tokyo last Wednesday that it is important for the U.S. to set a clear “red line” to prevent any miscalculation by Beijing.

“It [Obama’s recent trip to Asia] was important, given the questions about the sustained commitment to the rebalance, for the president to come to the region and reiterate his continued commitment to this basic strategic orientation,” he said.

“Because there had been so many other events, in Ukraine and the Middle East, that there have been some questions in the region about whether that commitment remains a priority for the U.S. The most important part of the trip was simply to reiterate, in a very concrete way that sustained commitment,” he added.

More friction between US and China

Meanwhile, the Associated Press has recently reported that the indictment of five Chinese military officials on cyber espionage charges will intensify friction between China and US.

A wanted poster was displayed at Washington’s justice department last Monday after several district attorneys and an FBI executive participated in a news conference saying that the US jury charged five Chinese hackers with economic espionage and trade theft.

The important question then is that, even after clearing its intentions and drawing the line for China, will the two countries relation ever be mended?

With reports from Nikkei Asian Review and Associated Press