New York Times (March 3)
“Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s brand of nationalism is a becoming an ever more serious threat to Japan’s relations with the United States. His use of revisionist history is a dangerous provocation for the region, which is already struggling with China’s aggressive stance in territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas.”
Tags: Abe, Aggressive stance, China, Dangerous Provocation, Japan, Nationalism, Revisionism, Territorial disputes, Threat, U.S.
Financial Times (January 1)
From the onset, Xi Jinping has set a new tone as general secretary of the Communist party. China needs far sweeping reforms as it works to boost domestic demand, strengthen the social safety net, improve governance, and empower consumers and free enterprise. He “should be bold in pushing change” and avoid hiding “reform behind tougher foreign policy.” Dialing down the intensity of territorial disputes would “be a boon for regional peace and security. It would also allow Mr Xi to concentrate on his very real problems at home.”
Wall Street Journal (September 16)
“The U.S. is increasingly worried that territorial disputes in the Pacific could inadvertently erupt into a conflict.” En route to Japan, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, “What we don’t want is any kind of provocative behavior on the part of China or anybody else, resulting in conflict….That conflict would have the potential of expanding.”
