Dick Cheney As China’s Worst Enemy
February 24, 2007U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney’s rancorous remarks on China during a speech on Thursday in Australia point to potential dangers ahead for the US-China relationship. Cheney’s embittered attitude towards China typifies the Bush Administration’s roller-coaster diplomacy and constant mixed signals for its Chinese counterparts.
One day the administration talks about the need for increased cooperation and partnership with China (and helping China to become a “responsible stakeholder”) ; the next day, a senior US official is publicly reprimanding China for its policies and chiding it for its most cherished strategic goal (the peaceful rise). No wonder China is wary of dealing with the US; it doesn’t know what to think.
The Bush Administration’s bipolar approach to China is emblematic of a broader foreign policy narrative which has plagued the president: the deep tension between the neoconservatives, including Cheney, and realist conservatives such as former Deputy Sectretary of State Robert Zoellick and current Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Both camps share some suspicions towards China, including its military goals and its human rights record. Read the rest of this entry »
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Anti-Satellite Test, China, China Threat, Diplomacy, North Korea, US Defense | 
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Posted by Ben Landy
