Its interests in East Asia date back to the late nineteenth century. Just as Britain refused to concede naval supremacy to Germany a century ago, the US will not easily accept any Chinese challenge to its strategic position in the western Pacific, especially given that so many East Asian states are pleading for US protection.
以这种方式试探美国的实力或许是危险的误判。尽管经济颓势尽露，美国仍是军事超级大国。其对东亚的兴趣可以追溯到19世纪末。正如一个世纪前英国拒绝将海军霸权拱手让给德国，美国也不会轻易接受中国对其西太平洋战略地位的挑战，特别是考虑到大量东亚国家都要仰仗美国的保护。