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Provocations may precede one if Washington has that in mind once other priorities are settled. For its part, North Korea wants confrontation avoided at all costs, short of surrendering its sovereignty in the process.
In the meantime, beating up on Pyongyang continues. In his 2002 State of the Union address, George Bush combined North Korea with Iran and Iraq in his "axis of evil."
On Monday, America and the Philippines began provocative joint military exercises in disputed South China Sea waters. Thousands of troops are involved. Forces from other countries are participating.
They include South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. They'll conduct live-fire exercises and mock beach invasions along coastlines facing China. Saber rattling worries Beijing and Pyongyang.
On April 10, a Philippine gunboat boarded eight Chinese fishing vessels in disputed Scarborough shoal waters. Two Chinese surveillance ships intervened. They radioed the Philippine craft to back off. Each side claimed territorial water rights.
Tense diplomatic negotiations followed. China's official newspaper, the China Daily, denounced Manila's actions. It called them "beyond tolerance (and a) blatant challenge to Chinese territorial integrity."
On April 16, Beijing demanded a Philippine archeological ship immediately leave its Huangyan Island territorial waters. It marks another in a series of regional incidents.
Commenting on US-Philippine joint military exercises, Foreign Ministry spokeman Liu Weimin said Beijing hopes both countries will focus on regional peace and stability, as well as improving mutual trust.
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