Hagel reassures Japan that U.S. committed to its security

Hagel reassurances are the entre, I think the main course arrives with Barak Obama, and laced with some unexpected side dishes. The reference to Russia’s annexation of Crimea may not be for the consumption of Chinas leadership, well only a small slice.

As of Nov. 27 some 60% +, equating to $2,100,000,000,000 in U.S. Treasury securities are held by the Federal Reserve, through the Fed's quantitative easing program.

John Becker,

I wonder who owns the other 92%.

I'm beginning to see what's been happening.

The U.S.A. has been bought!

What had used to be the pinnacle of freedom is now an investment for the superrich.

@BertieWooster "So China owns the US!" well, not no so fast!

Yes, China holds about 7.5% of American total debts, and if it floods the markets with huge quantity of treasuries, it would cause the yield to rise, in turn, dampen the US economy not to mention to drive the borrowing costs in the US; but such financial risk won’t make or break the US.

The real concern for the US is that any maculation or hyper-action from the US may put America in a compromised position. Therefore, Washington has to walk on the fine line in order to handle its delicate balance when it comes to the relationships with Japan and China in a high inflammable geopolitical region.

For people who do not know: The US views both Japan and China as strategic partners depending on the engagements where and when. For instance, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told defense ministers from the ASEAN in Hawaii, on April 3. "… I consider the Chinese as friends. We have differences. We are competitors. We disagree in areas. But we're certainly not enemies. We're doing a lot of things together where we can find some common interests."

The US wants to show Japan its commitments to its national security minus the remote rocks, in the meantime, Washington does not want to see China and Russia to team up against the US and EU (NATO), which would be the worst scenario/nightmare for world’s peace if the Russians and the Chineses create a formation of some sort of treaty Organization similar to NATO.

China holds nearly $1.32 trillion in US Treasury bonds, any hint of US delaying payment or defaulting would be unimaginable.

Amazing!

So China owns the US!

China owns 8% of total U.S. debt. That hardly constitutes "ownership."

http://www.factcheck.org/2013/11/who-holds-our-debt/

BertieWooster All these disputes will one day have to be settled, agreed one way or another, as with the crisis in Europe has proved, money doesn't just make the world go round it super glued everyone together.

Although I don't condone it, war is a great way to eliminate debt.

itsonlyrocknroll,

China holds nearly $1.32 trillion in US Treasury bonds, any hint of US delaying payment or defaulting would be unimaginable.

Amazing!

So China owns the US!

'It is unclear if U.S. reassurances can on their own allay worries in Japan that Washington might one day be unable or unwilling to militarily defend the country, despite Obama’s strategic “pivot” toward the Asia-Pacific region'. Thomson Reuters really needs to refrain from cheap mischief making spin.

China holds nearly $1.32 trillion in US Treasury bonds, any hint of US delaying payment or defaulting would be unimaginable.

Hagel reassures Japan that U.S. committed to its security

Mr Hagel, please, please don't bother.

Really!

We've seen enough US "security" and "peacekeeping" in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, South America, etc.

Please do NOT bring it here.

Amen JTDanMan. Amen.

Not sure what sort of 'economic retaliation' Mr. Russell is talking about here. Does he mean not paying back outstanding debts owed to China? As Billary Clinton once said, "How can we go to war with our creditors?"

Hagel reassures Japan that U.S. committed to its security

Funny. The US is always reassuring Japan, and Japan is always hemming and hawing. And extracting.

Time for Japan to get out of the basement and get a job.