The United States and China in Power Transition - Strategic Studies ...

the arms sales business. For all the years since then,
China has tried to hold the President accountable to
the 1982 agreement. Unfortunately, as the saying goes,
China has been barking up the wrong tree. In practical
terms, China should find it easier to persuade Taiwan
to give up its needs than to get the U.S. Congress to
amend or abolish the TRA.
China may dismiss all of the above and prepare to
take stronger actions if the United States were to authorize
another sale of arms to Taiwan. However, China
should learn the lessons from their last two unproductive
reactions. The suspension of military exchanges
hurt both sides and had to be resumed eventually. A
more measured approach should be considered.
On the South China Sea Disputes. The hot-tempered
exchange between Secretary of State Clinton and Chinese
Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi is a good example
of the United States and China overreacting to each
other’s moves. A high degree of distrust between the
two sides regarding each other’s intentions and approaches
toward the South China Sea problems certainly
made the situation worse.
Aside from the above, the Chinese strongly hold
that if Secretary Clinton did not disregard China’s private
request for her not to bring the difference between
China and the United States over the South China Sea
issues to the floor of the ASEAN Regional Forum and
make China lose face in front of so many foreign ministers
of the Asia Pacific region, China would not have
had to react so strongly. 218 It appears that being a little
culturally sensitive and considerate when dealing
with China can be more productive.
On the China-Japan Dispute in the East China Sea.
China has set itself on a path of no-return on the dispute
over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. It is a matter
of when and how China settles the issue with Japan. 219
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