How should the U.S. respond to China's claims?
Senator James Webb is concerned about China:
While America's attention is distracted by the presidential campaign, all of East Asia is watching what the U.S. will do about Chinese actions in the South China Sea. They know a test when they see one. They are waiting to see whether America will live up to its uncomfortable but necessary role as the true guarantor of stability in East Asia, or whether the region will again be dominated by belligerence and intimidation.The Chinese of 1931 understood this threat and lived through the consequences of an international community's failure to address it. The question is whether the China of 2012 truly wishes to resolve issues through acceptable international standards, and whether the America of 2012 has the will and the capacity to insist that this approach is the only path toward stability.
We're likely to hear more of this type of rhetoric as Asia's territorial drama heats up. Unfortunately this is where Webb ends his op-ed. It would have been more profitable to spell out more concretely just what he thinks the U.S. should do vis-a-vis China's claims. Vague invocations of will really aren't sufficient. Current U.S. policy - that these disputes be settled diplomatically - sounds reasonable, but what else should the U.S. be prepared to do if China (or other Asian claimants like Vietnam) assert broad claims? If this is a "test" - what constitutes passing?
