The Prospects are Bleak

Posted: September 8th, 2016

By Joseph DeTrani

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani is former Special envoy for Six Party Talks with North Korea and the U.S. Representative to the Korea Energy Development Organization (KEDO), as well as former CIA director of East Asia Operations. He also served as the Associate Director of National Intelligence and Mission Manager for North Korea and the Director of the National Counter Proliferation Center, while also serving as a Special Adviser to the Director of National Intelligence. He currently serves on the Board of Managers at Sandia National Laboratories. The views expressed represent those of the author.

U.S. – China relations have deteriorated appreciably over the past few years. The prospect for improved relations are bleak, with a strong likelihood that bilateral relations will continue to worsen. Although there’s no simple answer, it’s apparent that more must be done to restore trust in this important bilateral relationship.

Despite the ruling from the Court in The Hague that rejected China’s claim to historic rights over most of the South China Sea, China continues to build outposts on the Spratly Islands. The recent construction of hangers for 24 fighter jets was another indicator that China will not abide by the Court’s ruling. This intransigence on the part of China has soured relations with its neighbors in Southeast Asia and proven to be a public diplomacy nightmare for Beijing.

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