More on Meeting the Threat

Continuing my series on how we meet the China threat I believe there are some significant foreign policy initiatives we must engage in.
1. Improve our relations in South America. We must take a less paternalistic view and take steps to gain the trust of South America. We can not afford enemies to our south. Especially with that maniac Chavez down there. A book could be written about how we accomplish this goal. Here is one model that is instructive. Bush's initiatives in Africa to reduce poverty and improve health care, especially the treatment of AIDS has blunted Chinese diplomatic incursions in Africa. A positive unintended consequence. As to Chavez in Venezuela. The best way to make him irrelevant is to ignore him while quietly improving relations with all the other countries around him. He gains power when we poke him.
2. Convince Russia we are not a threat to them and try to soothe their ego. Right now they are more then happy to try and help China stick it to us. This will be hard to accomplish because many of the things we are doing in Eastern Europe that offend them are necessary but we have to find away to if not make them our ally at least make them neutral.
3. Create and strengthen strategic alliances in Asia. Especially India. They are the perfect counter weight to China and we should do everything we can to make them strong economically and militarily as well as making them an ally. Another country is Vietnam. Vietnam has little love for China. They still celebrate ancient victories over the Chinese and fought a border war with China in the late 1970's that they handily won. Vietnam still has some human rights issues but it is changing and they are willing to be our friends. They could be a valuable ally.