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What is behind US 'Return-to-Asia' strategy?

(China Military Online)

20:40, December 27, 2011

Edited and translated by People's Daily Online

Recently, the PLA Daily interviewed Lin Zhiyuan, an expert on U.S. issues from Department of World Military Research under Academy of Military Sciences on the U.S. strategy to "return to Asia."

Reporter: While talking about Asia recently, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, "The United States is back," making it clear that the United States has paid more attention to the Asian-Pacific region than ever, and it will shift its strategic focus to Asia in the future. What do you think of the move?

Lin Zhiyuan: It aims to fully restore the U.S. influence in the Asia-Pacific region. The United States implements a global strategy, which has respective focuses on deployment.

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States started to shift its strategic focus on Asia. However, the American focus on Asia was always interrupted by some major events, such as Asia’s financial crisis and the war on terrorism. Especially over the past 10 years, the United States paid all attention to anti-terrorism and got entangled in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but made slow progress in Asia.

Today's United States has taken "reviving the United States, leading the world" as its core objective. It changed the past practice of giving top priority to anti-terror, withdrew troops gradually from battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, accelerated its pace of shifting strategic focus to Asia, and has taken a number of substantial measures.

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（Editor：燕勐）

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jane tse at 2012-01-08218.102.131.*: What China and all other Asian countries have to do is to stick to their own goal, peaceful development and prosperity of the nation and the people. When we have a clear goal, our government would not be derailed. The problem is, the US gets use to playing the trick "divide-and-rule", which is to sponsor opposition and subversive elements on grounds of human rights and self-determination so as to blackmailing, destabilize and even overthrow governments. How to avoid the trap of Western human rights is to prioritize majority goods. Of course, individual politicians might find it easier to bribe the US for self-interest rather than working against the current and against the super military power for national interest. This is what we Asian people have to aware of and stand firm from foreign intervention. US return-to-Asia means we Asian people have to be on guard.
Jane Tse at 2012-01-08218.102.131.*: The US-Return-to-Asia (RTA) strategy means military over-stretch of the US. It is returning to reload its gun barrel with Asian money. The whole US economy has been sustaining by its military and financial industry. The collapse of the second means that the only offer for sale is millitary production, of course, the old ones. The US RTA inaugurates another period of regional instability and mutual distruct among East Asia. US RTA therefore means arms race and the US getting rich, at the expenses of East Asian countries and probably the ASEAN. More money to be squeezed social welfare and national development for US old weapons. The US RTA means the poor people have to suffer even more and development of developing or under-developed countries would be hailed. The US presence means easier financial attack as we have already experience in the Asia financial crisis and currently the global financial crisis. Soros is now in HK. Peoples of Asia ought to say no to their government. US has nothing to offer apart from growing hostility and instability. Asia has been developing at its own pace and its own way peacefully without US intervention. The rise of US is after two Great Wars when the US sold weapons to European states to kill European people and successfully stripped off all European colonies while the US get rich and climb up the top of the international hierarchy. This is why the US is the only country which has waged most wars in contemporary history. This is why the US has been trying to recreate another Cold War system and fabricate China threat and Islamic threat. China and Islam are to replace the USSR as a new common enemy because Prof. Samuel Huntington had said so in his book "Clash of Civilization" , in which Islam and Confucian civilization are natural enemy of the West. If the US is able to recreate history by waging war against Confucian and Islam, it will be the Third World War. The US is going to dominate the global system for another century. Such an evil empire, peoples and nations ought to reject without deny.
Nic at 2012-01-04175.141.162.*: USA has no way to go except Asia. They are not wanted everywhere and Europe has no future for them.They have over built their navies and many of their weaponries have no where to sell but to force on Japan and those under their protection to buy up from them.War can be waged in many ways. There is no need to fight you physically; we can also bleed you dry. Just watch!
PD User at 2012-01-03113.239.225.*: If you plan to defeat the United States Navy, I hope you can swim. Ask Japan what it feels like to fight a war with America. Buy plenty of K9 Jelly
PD User at 2012-01-02202.79.19.*: the us is returning to old days cold war.this time the turget is china.sofar china is playing its cards well.let the us etress itself more.time will soon come when it will break like the overburdened former ussr.good luck us,try tour luck you imperialist.