US must reassure China of its peaceful intentions

• Source: Global Times
• [23:19 November 01 2009]
• Comments

The British Economist magazine published an article on October 22 that might well explain why the US asked for China's reassurance.

It stated that "The parade of thousands of goose-stepping troops through central Beijing […] touch raw nerves in America, where intellectual and political opinion has long been bitterly divided over how to assess China's rise."

However, China's October 1 parade was not intended as a display of militarism but to celebrate National Day and show the development of the People's Liberation Army.

Furthermore, China's weapons and equipment still lag behind those of Western countries. China is not capable of posing a threat to the US and its allies.

Even if China possesses some advanced weapons in the future, given the defensive nature of China's national defense policy, China will never take the initiative to invade any other country. The Great Wall is a prominent portrayal of China's classic defensive idea.

It is the US that should consider how to provide China reassurance. China is integrating into the international community, and playing a proper role as an emerging power.

China respects the US as having an important role in the world, and is willing to enhance Sino-US cooperation. However, some politicians in the US have clung to an outdated Cold War mentality.

US military strength, which is far greater than Chinese, makes China nervous. In recent years, the US has claimed a right to carry on actions in areas only 12 nautical miles away from China's coastline, as it did with the former Soviet Union. But China has no intention of deploying military forces in the US coastal areas.

Robert Willard, the new head of the US Pacific Command, implied that the US would not stop carrying out military actions in China's territorial waters.

He said on October 21 that "The US has operated in the maritime domain in this region of the world for 150 years, and we have no intention of doing any differently."Given such words, how could China feel safe?

Consequently, while China and the US provide each other with greater "strategic reassurance,"the US should reassure China and the rest of the world that it will not threaten the security and well-being of others.

The author is a senior colonel and professor at the National Defense University, China .