[Opinion] The Pacific Islands: America’s Power Vacuum and China’s Offensive

America Misread China’s History and Helped Build Its Global Power

According to a well-known anecdote, when former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger met with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in 1971 to prepare for the Richard Nixon–Mao Zedong summit, Kissinger asked Zhou for his opinion on the French Revolution. Zhou responded that the event was too recent to fully grasp its significance. While some argue Zhou thought Kissinger was referring to the 1968 French student riots, the answer has come to symbolize the d…

Beijing’s Island Breeze: China makes a play for power in the Pacific

Last week, something highly unusual was spotted off the coast of Japan. In an unprecedented show of naval power, two Chinese aircraft carriers were seen cruising together near the country’s easternmost islands of Minamitori and Okinotori—far out into the Pacific Ocean.The carrier groups conducted drills alongside one another for the first time in Pacific waters, accompanied by jets, helicopters, and supporting warships. The operations underscore…

The Pacific Islands: America’s Power Vacuum and China’s Offensive

Time for other countries in the region to step up.