http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-06-01/top-chinese-general-accuses-us-and-japan-provocative-actions-russia-wonders-why-us-h

Top Chinese General Accuses US And Japan Of "Provocative Actions"; Russia Wonders Why "US Has To Lead"

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 06/01/2014 10:14 -0400

• China
 
• Germany
 
• Japan
 
• Ukraine

inShare1

Now that the Ukraine pseudo civil war is slowly drifting off into limbo, with western support for the eastern regions of the nation no longer on the table, and Germany making it clear no further sanctions against Russia are coming, the Ukraine conflict is on its way to becoming a second Syria: a nation split in two, with US support for one group, Russian support for the other, and the only real victor being the Kremlin, which has regained possession of the Crimea (which earlier today officially adopted the Ruble as its currency). Which explains why the US, embarrassed in its foreign affairs for the second year in a row, is pivoting once again, only this time using China as a distraction.

On Friday, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said China has taken "destabilizing, unilateral actions asserting its claims in the South China Sea" (which incidentally is not called the South American Sea). Hagel added that the U.S. will continue to raise cyber issues with China, and by raising he likely meant accusing PLA members of hacking, resulting in China dropping more US tech firms as critical suppliers.Following the Us Defense Secretary, it was the turn of Japan's PM, Abe who said Japan would give more support to southeast Asian nations that are facing Chinese pressure.

He concluded that the U.S. takes no position on competing territorial claims, however the damage was already done:according the FT, a top Chinese general on Sunday accused the US and Japan of teaming up to stage “provocative actions” against China, as escalating maritime tensions spilled into an Asian regional defense forum.

Because if the US thought its latest pivot away from Russia and Syria into China (even if supported by Japan) would happen seamlessly, it is about to get an unpleasant surprise:

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the Chinese general staff, lambasted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chuck Hagel, US defence secretary, for telling the forum of Asian defence ministers that China was using intimidation to assert its territorial claims.

"The speeches by Mr Abe and Mr Hagel gave me the impression that they co-ordinated with each other, they supported each other, they encouraged each other and they took the advantage of speaking first . . . and staged provocative actions and challenges against China,” said Gen Wang.

Mr Hagel on Saturday said China was undermining? its claims that the South China Sea was a “sea of peace, friendship and co-operation” by using coercive tactics, adding that the US would “not look the other way when fundamental principles of the international order are being challenged”.

On Friday, Mr Abe said Japan would give more support to southeast Asian nations that are facing Chinese pressure.

As for Japan, China had one word: "fascist."

In the face of mounting efforts by the US and Japan to shore up or build new security relationships in Asia, Gen Wang said China opposed both the practice of building military alliances and “attempts by any country to dominate regional affairs”. In a jab at Japan’s wartime history, Gen Wang said China would “never allow fascism . . . to stake a comeback”.

In the meantime, with Russia expanding geographically, China is doing the same, and in the process steamrolling over Vietnamese objections.

This year’s event became more heated because of the escalating disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea. China is embroiled in maritime disputes around the region, including with Manila and Tokyo. Scores of Chinese and Vietnamese ships are also involved in a stand-off near the disputed Paracel Islands after China started drilling for oil there in early May.

Gen Wang said China did not take provocative actions, but was being forced to respond to such actions from other countries. But when asked what Vietnam had done to trigger the decision to move the oil rig to disputed waters, sparking the worst crisis in China-Vietnam relations in years, the general did not respond.

While Shangri-La is designed to tackle a range of Asia-Pacific security issues, the focus has, in recent years, shifted squarely to China, with most of the participants this year asking China to explain its policies and actions.

Finally, Russia also chimed in:

Some experts questioned whether a new Cold War was emerging in Asia. Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s deputy defence secretary, took exception to comments by Mr Hagel that the US was the only power that could lead in the Asia-Pacific region. “Why does the US have to lead? To lead what?”

Based on his recent remarks at West Point, even Obama is not quite sure of the answer to that.

Reuters.....

U.S. and China square off at Asia security forum

BY DAVID BRUNNSTROM AND LEE CHYEN YEE

SINGAPORE Sat May 31, 2014 6:18pm EDT

77 COMMENTS

• inShare20
• Share this
• Email
• Print

1 OF 5. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (L) listens to Lieutenant-General Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, during the start of their meeting in Singapore May 31, 2014.

CREDIT: REUTERS/PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/POOL

RELATED VIDEO

China calls Hagel's remarks "groundless"

RELATED TOPICS

• World »
• China »

(Reuters) - The United States and China squared off at an Asian security forum on Saturday, with the U.S. defense secretary accusing Beijing of destabilizing the region and a top Chinese general retorting that his comments were "threat and intimidation".

Using unusually strong language, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel took aim at Beijing's handling of territorial disputes with its Asian neighbors.

"In recent months, China has undertaken destabilizing, unilateral actions asserting its claims in the South China Sea," Hagel said.

He warned Beijing that the United States was committed to its geopolitical rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region and "will not look the other way when fundamental principles of the international order are being challenged".

Hagel said the United States took no position on the merits of rival territorial claims in the region, but added: "We firmly oppose any nation's use of intimidation, coercion, or the threat of force to assert these claims."

His speech at Singapore's Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia biggest security forum, provoked an angry reaction from the deputy chief of staff of the Chinese Army, Lieutenant-General Wang Guanzhong.

"I felt that Secretary Hagel's speech is full of hegemonism, threat and intimidation," he told reporters just after the speech.

Wang said the speech was aimed at causing trouble in the Asia-Pacific.

Hagel's comments followed the keynote address by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the same forum on Friday evening, who pledged "utmost support" to Southeast Asian countries, several of which are locked in maritime disputes with China.

"I felt that they were just trying to echo each other," Wang said.

Hagel later held a bilateral meeting with Wang, where the Chinese military leader expressed his surprise at the U.S. defense secretary's speech.

"You were very candid this morning, and to be frank, more than our expectations," he said. "Although I do think those criticisms are groundless, I do appreciate your candor … likewise we will also share our candor."

A senior U.S. defense official said that, despite Wang's opening remarks, the tone of the meeting had been "businesslike and fairly amicable".

While Hagel went over ground he covered in his speech, Wang spent most of the meeting talking about U.S.-China military-to-military contacts, including Chinese participation in forthcoming military exercises, the official said.

The U.S. official said Hagel's speech had been well received by other Asian delegations with the exception of China.

ONLY IF PROVOKED

In Beijing, President Xi Jinping said China would not initiate aggressive action in the South China Sea but would respond if others did, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

"We will never stir up trouble, but will react in the necessary way to the provocations of countries involved," Xinhua quoted Xi as saying in a meeting on Friday with Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia.

China claims almost the entire oil- and gas-rich South China Seas, and dismisses competing claims from Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. Japan also has a territorial row with China over islands in the East China Sea. Tensions have surged in recent weeks after China placed an oil rig in waters claimed by Vietnam, and the Philippines said Beijing could be building an airstrip on a disputed island. Japan's defense ministry said Chinese SU-27 fighters came as close as 50 meters (170 ft) to a Japanese OP-3C surveillance plane near disputed islets last week and within 30 metres of a YS-11EB electronic intelligence aircraft. Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said Tokyo perceived an "increasingly severe regional security environment".

"It is unfortunate that there are security concerns in the East and South China Seas," he said. "Japan as well as all concerned parties must uphold the rule of law and never attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force."

On Friday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pitched his plan for Japan to take on a bigger international security role and told the Singapore forum that Tokyo would offer its "utmost support" to Southeast Asian countries in their efforts to protect their seas and airspace.

In a pointed dig at China, he said Japan would provide coastguard patrol boats to the Philippines and Vietnam.

JAPAN OFFER SNUBBED

Wang, China's deputy chief of staff, also snubbed an offer for talks with Japan made by Defence Minister Onodera, the semi-official China News Service said.

"This will hinge on whether the Japanese side is willing to amend the erroneous policy towards China and improve relations between China and Japan," he said. "Japan should correct its mistakes as soon as possible to improve China-Japan ties." The strong comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue come as Abe pursues a controversial push to ease restrictions of the post-war, pacifist constitution that has kept Japan's military from fighting overseas since World War Two.

Despite memories of Japan's harsh wartime occupation of much of Southeast Asia, several countries in the region may view Abe's message favorably because of China's increasing assertiveness.

Hagel repeatedly stressed Obama's commitment to the Asia-Pacific rebalance and said the strong U.S. military presence in the region would endure.

"To ensure that the rebalance is fully implemented, both President Obama and I remain committed to ensuring that any reductions in U.S. defense spending do not come at the expense of America’s commitments in the Asia-Pacific," he said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-06/01/c_133376740.htm

Provocative remarks from U.S., Japan not helpful for regional security: Chinese general                   English.news.cn | 2014-06-01 14:29:14 | Editor: An

Wang Guanzhong, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, speaks during the fourth plenary session of the 13th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 1, 2014, the final day of the multilateral forum focusing on security issues in Asia. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey) SINGAPORE, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The provocative harsh remarks against China by United States Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a regional security forum are not helpful for regional peace and stability, an army general heading the Chinese delegation said on Sunday. Delivering a speech on the third day of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Wang Guanzhong said he has planned to use the opportunity to elaborate on China's newly proposed approach and framework of common security and cooperative security in Asia but had to move away from the prepared text to respond. "My feeling is that Mr. Abe and Mr. Hagel were singing notes in chorus. They were corroborating and colluding and using the opportunities to speak first at the Shangri-La Dialogue to take the initiative to provoke and challenge China," he told military generals, defense chiefs and scholars. Hagel criticized China as being the one taking unilateral actions on the South China Sea and said that the United States will maintain its leadership in the Asia Pacific and defend the interests of its allies. He also repeated the U.S. pretext of concerns for the freedom of navigation and respect for international law in the South China Sea. Wang said he did not expect the languages of hegemonism and words of intimidation in the speech of Hagel. "He made a speech to stoke instability and encourage fight picking in the Asia Pacific. The attitude there is not constructive," the Chinese general said. No disputes or incidents have been initiated by China over a long period of time on sovereign and maritime issues and China has always had to respond, he said. Abe delivered a keynote speech on Friday evening full of thinly- veiled comments aimed at China. He talked about how he intends to revise and push beyond the limit of Japan's pacifist constitution that was put in place after the World War II and how he intends to go for a larger role for Japan in Asia in security by promoting the idea of "proactive peace" and giving patrol ships to the Philippines and Vietnam to support their maritime claims. Wang said everybody can see the remarks of Abe, full of innuendoes, are aimed at China. "Hagel was being quite frank. He just bluntly and openly criticized China, albeit baseless. But I rather like his way of talking. If you want to say something, it's better to just say it directly," he said. "As a prime minister, Abe was invited to the Shangri-La Dialogue by the organizers to give a speech. He could have upheld the goal of dialogue facilitation set for the forum to advance peace and security in the Asia Pacific. He could have contributed constructive suggestions but, opposite to the spirit of the dialogue meeting, he initiated incidents and stoke disputes," Wang said. "I think this is not acceptable, and this is not in line with the spirit of the dialogue meeting," he added. Wang said that China never took the initiative at the Shangri- La Dialogue to incite disputes. "If you also look at what the United States and Japan did, it was not difficult to see who took the initiative to pick fights and incite disputes and conflicts. From the speeches of Abe and Hagel, we can see who on earth are aggressive. It is the United States and Japan corroborating with each other, and not China," he said. Despite the harsh words from the United States and Japan, Wang called for cooperation and coordination to work for regional peace and stability. Both China and the United States have common interests in a world of increasingly interdependent countries, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has recently proposed the approach of common security and sustainable security for Asia, which calls for cooperative security and mutually beneficial development to lead efforts for peace and stability in the region. China has said that the approach of dividing Asian countries into allies and non-allies by the United States will not lead to security for all and that the 21st century is the time to drop the mentality of alliance to achieve security at the expense of other countries. The approach outlined by China calls for efforts from all the countries in the region to contribute to regional peace and stability through the pursuit of cooperation and development. Scholars said the approach is much more inclusive and that other countries are also welcome to play a constructive role. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Antonov voiced concerns for the detrimental impact on regional peace and stability from the wave of color revolutions with democracy as a pretext. He said that Russia is opposed to the deployment of missile defense systems in the Asia Pacific which breaks the strategic balance in the region. Antonov also questioned the idea of the United States must be a leader. "We are opposed to any division of the Asia Pacific nations into 'primary' and 'secondary' ones, leaders and supporters. We are all equal. We have equal rights and obligations. At the same time every nation is unique in terms of its history, cultural heritage and traditions," he said. The Shangri-La Dialogue, officially the Asian Security Summit organized by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, a London-based think thank, gathers defense and military representatives and scholars from 27 countries in the Asia Pacific region and beyond.