From the Readers

Time for US to amend its relations with other countries

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-06-07 13:57

Comment on "China, US trade barbs over military ties" (China Daily, June 7)

As an American living in China, I must say that from here, the U.S. appears relentlessly aggressive in attempting to dominate Asia, especially by controlling the seas around China with military bases in Japan and Korea, selling arms to Taiwan, and continual war games in the area.

So it's pretty high-handed to paint China at fault when military relations are fraying. If a conflict does arise between the U.S. and China, it's pretty clear from this side of the Pacific, it would the result of U.S. aggression.

Perhaps decision-makers in the U.S. military need to re-examine the rapidly shifting balance of powers today. Look at the 2010 Shanghai Expo and how that success has catapulted China into a position of tremendous consequence this summer. The leaders of China are meeting with leaders from countries all over the world.

The fact that the State Department in the U.S. did such a shoddy job of representing the U.S. at this Expo (not even meeting deadlines to have an exhibit so that American-Chinese businessmen had to put up the money to make sure the U.S. even had an exhibit) reflects a hostile attitude toward China that is entirely unproductive. It's not just a military failure. It's an ongoing failure to show good faith in relations with China, from boycotting the Beijing Olympics to nearly boycotting the 2010 Shanghai Expo to a nearly relentless propaganda campaign slamming China.

It's time for Americans to stop militarizing relations with other countries, stop manipulating, stop mistrusting and showing such bad faith, stop threatening, stop bribing, stop corrupting, stop building military bases all over the world, stop the CIA from all of its operations, and get on with the bridge building that needs to happen for everyone to cooperate and prosper.

Ariel Ky, on China Daily website