Speaking Softly and Carrying a Big Stick

摘要

In late September, Gen. Mark A.Welsh Ⅲ visited China-the first Air Force Chief of Staff to visit the communist nation in 15 years. When he gave his first extensive comments about the trip to the press Nov. 13, Welsh said he and his party were "beneficiaries, I think, of a charm offensive." There were a long series of high-level military-to-military meetings between top US and Chinese officials in 2013, and Welsh saw the opportunity for greater communication going forward. Still, Welsh bluntly said, "I don't know what their ambitions are." Ten days later, the Chinese government abruptly and unexpectedly instituted a new air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over a vast swath of the East China Sea, angering the US, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea in one fell swoop.