China made its displeasure with the US known after Obama's Asia tour

Mark C. Eades

usnews.com

The week since President Obama's return from his Asia-Pacific tour has, unsurprisingly, seen a stream of negative commentary from Chinese state-run media on on the U.S. role in Asia. China was especially unhappy with a U.S.-Japan joint statement confirming that the allied nations’ security treaty applies to all territories administered by Japan, including the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, and with a U.S.-Philippines defense agreement boosting America’s troop presence in the island nation. An annual joint military exercise between the United States and the Philippines currently underway is also being viewed with apprehension from China.

“U.S. shows its true colors,” announced an editorial in the English-language China Daily the day of Obama's return to Washington. “It is increasingly obvious that Washington is taking Beijing as an opponent,” said the editorial, taking aim at America’s alliances with both Japan and the Philippines. “Ganging up with its troublemaking allies, the U.S. is presenting itself as a security threat to China.” The editorial accused the United States and its “malicious” allies in Asia of projecting a “threatening image of China” in a concerted “attempt to contain China’s influence in the region.” According to the editorial, however, these efforts will ultimately fail: “Washington must come to terms with the reality that China will continue to grow, though it will not follow the U.S.’ hegemonic path.”

While China was displeased at U.S. agreements with both Japan and the Philippines, its greatest anger has been with the U.S.-Japan security arrangement. An editorial in People's Daily accused the two nations of "double-dealing" and "betraying history" on the Diaoyu/Senkaku issue, saying that "Japan is taking advantage of American greed to cause trouble" with its neighbors (i.e., China) in the Asia-Pacific region. "China's peaceful rise will not be constrained by any other country," the editorial likewise insisted. "The U.S. and Japan will taste bitter fruits if they continue their betrayal of history."

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