By Ralph A. Cossa and Brad Glosserman
"All right China, come out with your hands up; we've got you surrounded!" When one reads about the U.S. "pivot" to Asia, it is almost always cast in terms of countering China's rise, as if it ― and everything else that Washington does in Asia ― is always all about China. Of course, Beijing then reacts accordingly.
But the only thing new about America's pivot toward Asia is the word pivot. The idea of focusing on Asia during the "Pacific Century" dates back to President George H.W. Bush.