U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta gives an in-flight press briefing while flying to Tokyo, Sept. 15, 2012. Panetta is on an eight-day trip to meet with defense counterparts in Japan, China and New Zealand. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Panetta Seeks Closer Sino-U.S. Ties As China Military Expands -- Reuters
(Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will look for ways to deepen military relations with China during a visit to Asia this week, even as he works to bolster U.S. alliances in the region as part of a strategic shift that Beijing views with concern.
Panetta, who arrived in Tokyo on Sunday, is making his third trip to Asia as defense secretary at a time when China is embroiled in testy territorial disputes with Japan and the Philippines, two key U.S. allies in the region.
Scores of cities across China erupted in anti-Japan protests at the weekend in which demonstrators looted shops and attacked Japanese cars and restaurants. They were angered by Japan's decision on Tuesday to buy a tiny group of disputed islands which Tokyo calls the Senkaku and Beijing calls the Diaoyu from a private Japanese owner.
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My Comment: His visit to China is coming at a wrong time. The Chinese leadership is now in flux, and the priority (in China) right now is to have a smooth transition that would not upset those who have been left out while projecting an image to the rest of the country that nothing is going to change. As for Panetta's visit, they will listen to him but their focus is not on developing clsoer ties with the U.S. at this time.
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