Defense Secretary William Cohen went to Asia this week to attempt the diplomatic equivalent of a three-cushion shot in pool. It’s not immediately clear whether he was successful.
Cohen sought to strengthen ties with old allies–Japan and South Korea–and to foster new ties with Vietnam, where he became the first U.S. defense chief to visit since the end of the Vietnam War a quarter century ago. At the same time, he hoped to send a subtle message to China, which was waxing bellicose in the runup to Taiwan’s presidential election Saturday.
The last part was the trickiest and it’s not clear yet what the long-term effect of Cohen’s efforts will be.
Cohen elicited some murmurs of concern when, during his Vietnam visit, he urged that Vietnam and its Southeast Asian neighbors use their collective “leverage” with the region’s future powerhouse, China, to help keep the Asian giant in check. Quite likely the Vietnamese were thinking, “Easy for you to say, living on the other side of the world.”
To the extent Cohen’s remarks were intended to suggest treating China as an enemy, he was unwise. That could easily become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
To the extent his remarks were intended to suggest China’s neighbors pursue among themselves policies and relationships that would enhance the lives and democratic well-being of their peoples, he was right on target. And Beijing must respect such aspirations.
Cohen visited Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea to underscore the long-term U.S. commitment of 100,000 troops to the Pacific region to help keep peace and stability there. Unfortunately, the Chinese were talking war. Premier Zhu Rongji warned Taiwanese voters that they had better “not just act on impulse” or they might not get “another opportunity to regret.”
The most eye-catching part of Cohen’s trip was Vietnam, where five years after Washington and Hanoi restored diplomatic relations, he emphasized improving military-to-military ties.
Such cooperation so far has involved mainly joint efforts to identify the remains of 2,000 American soldiers missing in action from the Vietnam War. That ought to widen into other areas of mutual interest, such as removing landmines and improving Vietnam’s environment. It would be in both the U.S. and the Vietnamese interests to improve bilateral ties.
But the Clinton administration must be careful about casting such ties as part of a coalition against China. America’s goal in the Pacific region ought to be to cultivate peaceful, cooperative relationships with all nations that are prepared to be peaceful and cooperative, China included.
