Re: the tragic sinking of a South Korean Naval Ship, a good read (as always) from Fareed Zakaria on CNN:
But here’s the dilemma. If China is going to play a larger role in the region, in Asia, what does it say when the country they have the maximum influence on — they have really one vassal state and that is North Korea — and if they can’t get the North Koreans to toe the line on what is a very reasonable request, what does it say about China’s ability to conceive of a foreign policy, enact it, and contribute to regional stability? And I’m not talking about Chinese intentions, which may be perfectly fine.
While I was in China, there was a big air show that unveiled new jet fighters comparable to the U.S.’s last-generation (I.E. F-16′s, etc.). The big deal was that China was branching out from a traditional army, which can only exert local influence, to a more robust military capable of projecting force further and further. As a comparison, the U.S. – with it’s I.C.B.M.’s, long-range bombers, satellites, deep-sea subs and military bases all over the world – offers the ultimate example of global force-projection. I’m not endorsing this, I’m just sayin’…
So now that China is clear with its aspirations to exert more influence in regional and global affairs, and they’re building the equipment to do it, they need to start to be able to handle these relatively minor feats of diplomatic dexterity, don’t you think?