USA Warns China Against Crimea-Style Annexation in Asia

BALTIMORE, Maryland April 4, 2014 - The United States - concerned that the ease with which Russia has managed to annex Crimea - has bluntly told China not to attempt to annex any territory in Asia in hopes of getting a similarly tepid response. Reuters reported on Friday that the United States' diplomatic point man for the East Asia area said that while it is difficult to guess what China's intentions are in the area, the effect of economic sanctions such as those imposed on Russia should be enough to discourage China from going down a similar avenue. Daniel Russel, President Barack Obama's diplomatic point man for East Asia, testified this week before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington. His warnings not to start thinking of aggressive moves was made bluntly, Reuters reported. One thing the United States has in its favor with regards to China that it does not have with regards to Russia is the high degree of financial interdependence that exists in the Sino-American economic relationship.

Observers and Diplomats world-wide have been critical of American and European response to the Crimean Aggression. Most of the sanctions imposed so far by the USA and the EU have been limited to freezing the assets of certain Russian leaders and businessmen, and some sanctions against Russian banks. The United States and the EU have both ruled out any kind of military response. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, although it had applied in the past. The United States and many individual members of the EU have broken off military cooperation agreements with Russia and Western companies have either ended or postponed several large weapons and military contracts. In addition, the G8 group of large world-wide economic powers has booted Russia out and renamed itself the G7. A meeting planned for Sochi in June has been rescheduled in Brussels at about the same time.

The United States does have treaties obligating it to come to the defense of Taiwan and Japan. Taiwan is involved in a long-term and somewhat fevered dispute between China and the United States. China says that Taiwan is a province of theirs. Taiwan is independent. Former Chinese Leader Mao Tse Tung and Taiwan's former leader, Chiang Kai-shek, fought a long World War II. When Chunk Kai Shek was convinced his cause had become hopeless, he and his followers crossed the narrow waterway between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan and declared it to be independent of China. The United States subsequently signed a treaty with Taiwan that includes an obligation of military assistance should the island nation come under attack. China has, in the past, threatened to use force to pacify the island. Taiwan has grown into a large industrial power even though politically it is only recognized by 21 United Nations members and the Vatican. Other Western Nations, however, deal openly with Taiwan, which has become known for its strong individual freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of the press and universal suffrage.