尖閣瞄準：中國不知，美國言他，懲處在何方？

尖閣瞄準：中國不知，美國言他，懲處在何方？

【Comment】
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that they learned the radar lock-on incident from the media, implying they were the third party and could provide no detail. In fact, there were two possibilities.  One was that PLA went its own way.  The other was that Xi gave the instruction as a C-in-C of PLA.  Either one was far beyond Chinese Foreign Ministry’s authority.  Let’s see who will be punished later to determine which was the real scenario.
On 5th January, a journalist asked Ms. Nuland in the Press Briefing of Department of State if DoS had had a conversation with Beijing, but no answer was provided.  
I believe, in view of the US-Japan alliance, all the countries in this area, including the Koreas, Russia, the Philippines, Vietnam or even Singapore are waiting to see how the US will define so-called “commitments” to Asian alliances.  It will be a significant testimony for the US in that she can not afford to lose the area and the sea-lane.    revised on 20130208

中國外交部的「不知情」說，若非解放軍自行其是，就是有極高層直接下令。兩件事情都是遠遠超出外交部的權限。自行其是，其實是友善的解釋呢！我們接下來要看是否有「懲處名單」。美國記者問：有否與中方聯繫？記者關切因美日為同盟地位，解放軍瞄準自衛隊海軍的交戰行為也等於是對美的敵意。國務院則顧左右言他。我相信東亞個國都在看所謂「美國的承諾」。  

美國國務院2月5日記者會（有關雷達瞄準）◎DoS（2013.02.05）http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2013/02/203780.htm#JAPAN

QUESTION:  Okay.  Well, how about Japan and this accusation by the Japanese that the Chinese have locked radar onto one of their destroyers?  Did that come up, or is that something that doesn’t rise to the – something you don’t think is serious and doesn’t rise to the level of the Secretary mentioning it to the Chinese Foreign Minister?

MS. NULAND:  Well, beyond saying that regional security issues as a whole came up, I’m not going to get into any further detail of the phone conversation.  I will say that with regard to the reports of this particular lock-on incident, actions such as this escalate tensions and increase the risk of an incident or a miscalculation, and they could undermine peace, stability, and economic growth in this vital region.  So we are concerned about it.

Jill, in the back.

QUESTION:  Wait, can I just ask about --

MS. NULAND:  Yeah.

QUESTION:  I mean, did it or did it not come up with the conversation with the Chinese?  And if you don’t know, that’s one thing.  If you do know and you’ve been – there’s been some decision made that you don’t want to say that it came up in the conversation, I’d like to know the rationale behind it.  It seems to me that Japan is a treaty ally of the United States, and if there is a belligerent action taken against a treaty ally of the United States, it would seem to me to be entirely appropriate for the Secretary of State to raise that with the country that committed the belligerent act.

MS. NULAND:  Again, Matt, I will – I’m happy to check on your specific issue.  We have shared today what we care to share from that conversation, including the fact that it covered regional security.  But I will check on your question.