Is Obama's 'Pivot to Asia' enough to maintain US Influence in East Asia?

The 20th century has been defined as the American Century, however, the history of the 21st century will be written in Asia. Today, East Asia is home to a third of the world's population and includes some of the world's largest economies. Hence the US has placed more emphasis on the region, to strengthen its economic ties and to show its long term allies that it has not forgotten about them. Disengagement from the Middle East and the rise of China has meant that the US has again turned its focus to the Asia-Pacific and East Asia, a region rife with old, long seated distrust and territorial disputes. The dissertation will focus on how the US is executing its 'Pivot to Asia' focusing on the many security issues which it must deal with, both those involving its allies and those involving its strategic rivals. All while trying to maintain its influence over East Asia in the face of a rising China. Whilst the US is welcomed by some and unwelcomed by others, the dissertation will try and determine whether the US's renewed interest will contribute to the prosperity of East Asia or whether the US will again be bogged down in a region where it is not welcomed.

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Chapter 5: Engaging China:
5.1. How much is the Pivot a Pivot? Past Administrations and China, 1989-Present:
Despite the fact that Barack Obama's recent 'Pivot to Asia' has brought renewed interest in East Asia this is not to mean that previous administrations ignored the region or that the US left the region. Indeed previous administrations, most notably the Clinton and the Bush administrations, undertook various measures to strengthen the presence of the US in Asia and many argue that Obama's 'Pivot' is building on the achievements of these administrations.
The dissolution of the USSR and the end of the Cold War resulted in a change on how China was viewed by the world. Some would argue that this had started since the rapprochement policies of the Nixon administration. During the Cold War China was seen as a Communist country that, while opposed to the US in ideology was also opposed to the Soviet Union (after the Sino-Soviet Split). Today it is the largest Communist country with an abysmal human rights record. This has meant that since the Cold War stances and positions have varied when it came to dealing with China.
President George H. W. Bush came to office in 1989 at a very interesting period; his foreign policy was driven by events, including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of the USSR, the invasion of Panama, the First Gulf War and in the case of China the Tiananmen Square protests, a lot of events for an administration that lasted only one term. Bush had past experiences in dealing with China as between 1974 and 1976 he served as Chief of the US Liaison Office in Beijing which perhaps resulted in his unique stance when it came to dealing with China. Early on in his presidency he was confronted by the Chinese military crackdown of Tiananmen Square and although against the violent crackdown he did not wish to abandon the good ties that existed between the US and China and adopted what many saw as an inadequate response to the situation, something which was criticised by his opponents. Clinton saw Bush as appeasing the "Butchers of Beijing", a stance that was also adopted by Hilary Clinton in her presidential campaign (Baker, 2008). The administration did condemn the crackdown together with other western powers (McFadden, 1989) and sanctioned China, though these were not particularly harsh or long lasting as it was believed that China was still vital to US interests. China's violations of human rights were similarly ignored (Brick, 1989).
The Clinton Administration between 1993 and 2001 did have an Asia focus. The Administration recognised the importance of China in the post-Cold War years and embarked on a series of initiatives. It did not further push for a UN resolution to condemn China's human rights record (Los Angeles Times, 1998) whilst President Clinton also embarked on a series of visits which culminated in the signing of the USChina trade agreement in November 1999 (The New York Times, 1999). This allowed China entry into the World Trade Organisation, and removed tariffs and trade barriers between the US and China (Global Policy Forum, 1999). Together with this the Clinton Administration also embarked on a program to strengthen the relationship between the US and Vietnam and helped Vietnam integrate into the international economy (US State Department Archives, 1993-2001). This strengthened the relationship between the Philippines and the other ASEAN countries (Ibid.). There was also a renewed effort regarding North Korea's nuclear program which although initially successful in the end failed (The New York Times, 2014).
The George W. Bush administration on the other hand came into office believing that China would be the next rival/competitor, unlike the Clinton Administration which saw Beijing as a strategic partner. The demise of the USSR left China as the only communist country large e