Washington's pivot to Asia, including the deepening of military alliances by engaging in sensitive issues in the region, undermines Asia-Pacific peace and stability, a report from a Chinese think tank said on Wednesday. Observers said the strategy, which essentially aims to maintain US dominance in regional and global affairs, will not result in China changing its strategy, but will threaten its interests in the long run.

The annual report on US military power, released by the China Strategic Culture Promotion Association, said that despite significant defense budget cuts, the US military deployed 154,100 personnel to the Pacific region in 2013, a 6 percent rise from the previous year.

On top of this, Washington, which saw regional alliances cool in the aftermath of the Cold War and budget austerity, was rekindling ties with a number of countries.

Fan Gaoyue, a specialist from the association, said Washington is worried about maintaining its future dominance over global affairs in light of China's rapid rise.

Because of this concern, the US has used neighboring countries to cause security, economic and diplomatic problems for China, he said.

For instance, on the Diaoyu Islands issue, the US helped increase tension when it criticized China and fully supported Japan, the report said.

Regarding tensions in the South China Sea, the US encouraged Southeast Asian countries, such as the Philippines, to confront China and "has been trying to internationalize the issue with continuous pressure on China", it said.

China Daily

(China Daily 07/24/2014 page4)