China and the new Asian order
.........The US and South Korea recently held a joint naval exercise, mobilizing 8,000 troops, 20 ships and submarines — including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington and 200 planes — in the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in response to the torpedoing of a South Korean naval ship, believed by the US and South Korea to be the work of Pyongyang.
Although the US has said that the maneuvers were aimed at sending a strong message to Pyongyang that aggression will not be tolerated, China, North Korea’s adamant supporter, has strongly protested the drills, saying its national interest will be damaged if a US aircraft carrier is deployed in the Yellow Sea, which it views as its “backyard.”
Instead of ignoring these objections, the US made an unprecedented strategic U-turn, deciding to relocate some of the drills away from the sensitive Yellow Sea to the Sea of Japan. Moreover, the aircraft carrier USS George Washington will not now enter the Yellow Sea.
This conciliatory gesture not only shocked many security experts in South Korea and Japan, but also carries implications for Taiwan.
Taipei Times Editorial
