The U.S. And China Are Trying To Avoid War

Image Credit: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Tara McKelvey, BBC: Trying to avoid war, US and China build uneasy alliance

As US and China officials meet in Washington for high-level talks, the relationship between the countries is increasingly tense and awkward, even as they try to build an alliance.

America and China of are playing a high-stakes game in the South China Sea. Things are tense in Washington, too.

After building islands, lighthouses and a runway in disputed areas of the South China Sea, Beijing officials say they're ready to stop construction. Lu Kang, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, issued a statement on 16 June, saying the work - or at least some of it - would soon be "completed".

US officials sound underwhelmed. (They "noted" the Chinese announcement, according to Reuters.) Still the timing is good - and is not accidental.

Next week Chinese officials will meet with Americans in Washington for a conference, the Strategic and Economic Dialogue. The subject of the South China Sea is likely to come up.

It'll also be on the agenda in September when President Xi Jinping of China comes to Washington.

Update: The US and China Won't See Military Conflict Over the South China Sea -- Xue Li, The Diplomat

WNU Editor: It is in the interest of both the U.S. and China to keep the peace .... unfortunately .... China's big problem is not with the U.S. but with its neighbors. With the exception of Russia, China is in a territorial dispute with everyone of its neighbors .... and all sides are refusing to back down.