Strained US-Sino ties loom at Asia security forum focus 07/24/2010

Strained US-Sino ties loom at Asia security forum

focus 07/24/2010 HANOI — Strained US-China military relations will be the elephant in the room as Asia’s largest security forum meets in Vietnam on Friday amid tensions over North Korea, Taiwan and the South China Sea. A US-South Korea naval drill in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) next week is exacerbating tensions ahead of the Hanoi meet, to be attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. Analysts said the 27-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum was unlikely to bring about a thaw in bilateral military ties, which Beijing froze in January over US weapons sales to Taiwan. “It’s the worst it’s been in a long time. US-Sino relations are not in a good place right now,” said Ian Storey, a fellow of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. “Particularly significant is that the two militaries aren’t talking and there are a lot of issues that they have to discuss.” China suspended military relations in January after Washington unveiled a $6.4-billion arms package for Taiwan. In May, China rebuffed a planned visit to Beijing by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates. US and South Korean plans to hold a series of naval drills from Sunday in response to North Korea’s alleged torpedoing of a South Korean warship in March are the latest source of bad blood between Beijing and Washington..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100724com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Truth will out, too FRONTLINE All for publicity focus Strained US-Sino ties loom at Asia security forum