China, U.S. entered new era of competition in Middle East and Persian Gulf: Expert
An expert on eastern Asian issues has said that China does not want to back down from the Taiwan issue, while the United States has voiced comprehensive support for Taipei and South Korea in order to convey its own messages to Beijing in addition to threatening North Korea.
Referring to the new military deal between the U.S. and South Korea, Davood Aghaei told ILNA that the U.S. is looking to make new commitments to South Korea to support their key partner in East Asia against threats from North Korea.
On the other hand, the Chinese are writing scenarios to reduce the threat of the U.S. in the South China Sea, he said, adding that the U.S. and China are building alliances in the Korean Peninsula, something that can take on broader dimensions.
According to Aghaei, China seeks to distract U.S. attention away from Taiwan and East Asia. It seems that Beijing is hatching plans against the U.S. in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.
The Persian Gulf, the expert said, can be a new place for Chinese-American competition. He said this competition has long been going on in the region but at the moment, the Chinese seem to be willing to make the U.S. busy in this region. On the other hand, the U.S. also seeks to make China busy in its surroundings, Aghaei said.