By Mu Chunshan

October 29, 2015

"Tuesday morning local time, the guided missile destroyer USS Lassen entered the waters near one of China's artificial islands in the South China Sea. Within a few hours, this action sparked an enormously negative reaction in China. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministry put out tough statements criticizing the move. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui summoned U.S. Ambassador Max Baucus to express China's unhappiness. This series of actions is already approaching the most extreme levels of protest China's foreign ministry has demonstrated toward other countries.

In fact, the response to the USS Lasser's maneuvers from Chinese media and netizens alike is similar to the reactions after two of the worst crises in U.S.-China relations: the 1998 U.S. bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, and the collision of a U.S. EP-3 plane with a Chinese F-8 fighter jet in 2001. There are three main views being expressed."

Read more:
http://thediplomat.com/2015/10/dont-underestimate-xi-jinpings-resolve-in-the-south-china-sea/

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