The more assertive Beijing has become, the more reluctant U.S. President Barack Obama has been to take sides in Asian territorial disputes, although they center on a combative China's efforts to change the territorial status quo with America's strategic allies or partners. Washington's feckless Asia policy has helped deepen the security dilemma of several Asian states on how to protect their territorial and economic rights against China's power grab.
Washington has made it amply clear that despite its "pivot" toward Asia, it will not put American lives at risk to defend its allies' territorial claims against Beijing or act in ways detrimental to its close engagement with China. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel even said in an Aug. 28 BBC interview that the U.S. does not look at China's military buildup as a threat.
Indeed, there has been a course correction in the Obama administration's "pivot" policy. After initially raising Asian expectations about a robust U.S. response to China's assertiveness, Washington has tamped down the military aspects of its "pivot," lest it puts it on the path of taking on Beijing. Instead it has been laying emphasis on the economic aspects.