China vs. US-Japan military alliance

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Is U.S.-Japan alliance tested by China actually ?
This topic has been sticky by szh at 2010-10-14 11:49.
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1# > A < Posted 2010-10-14 11:48 Only show this user's posts Is U.S.-Japan alliance tested by China actually ? marines.jpg (72.7 KB) 2010-10-14 11:48 China spat underscores security realities, trumps Futenma politics ??? Only a few months ago, the Japan-U.S. military alliance — considered by both nations as the "cornerstone" of peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region — was in crisis. But owing to a wakeup call in the East China Sea — military tensions with Beijing — Japan is taking a fresh look at the role of the U.S. military in the country. The tension with China has led people in Japan to acknowledge the strategic importance of having U.S. forces based here, not only for the defense of Japanese territory but also to maintain stability throughout East Asia. In the past month, Tokyo and Beijing waged a war of words over the Diaoyu (Senkaku) Islands after Japan arrested a trawler captain near the uninhabited islets in the East China Sea. The islets are controlled by Japan but claimed by China. Japan Coast Guard boats were trying to board the trawler, and it collided with them. Tokyo even saw what an economic war would look like, as Beijing apparently halted exports of rare earth minerals critical to Japan's high-tech industry. China's fury over the sea incident eventually prompted Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to confirm that the Japan-U.S. security treaty applies to the Diaoyu Islands. The treaty obliges the U.S. to defend Japan against an "armed attack" by another country. Before the Diaoyu crisis, Japan was having a hard time trying to sell the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma within Okinawa amid strong local opposition. Indeed, before the crisis, many Japanese at home and abroad were questioning the strength of the Tokyo-Washington military alliance. The relationship was suffering for the past year from the contentious Futenma airfield relocation in Okinawa, where anti-base sentiment is strong, a fact not lost on politicians looking to score votes. But “pressured by Beijing”, many in Japan's leadership ranks have felt compelled to reaffirm the strength of the U.S. alliance, particularly amid perceptions of China's growing military strength, and potential reach. Do you also believe China’s move could somewhat determine how strong the US-Japan alliance ? Yes, to some degrees. No, it's impossible. 24 2 UID 318 Posts 181 Digest 1 Credits 1517 Fame 379 Money 556 Permission 70 Online 2 hours Registered 2009-9-27 Last login 2010-10-14 Profile TOP KHDavis * Buddy * Offline 2# > A < Posted 2010-10-14 17:10 Only show this user's posts
Obviously China's actions could influence it, but I think the amount of influence is not as great as people think.
Some, within China, confuse local sentiment about bases as some sort of negative view on the overall cooperation between Japan and the US, which it is not.

There is also an over-exaggeration that I have seen in China as to the US involvement in the area.

Any move that the US makes in the area are incorrectly turned into a "move against China" within the Chinese media, while other major points seem to be conveniently forgotten.

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