The Hill News

Two hundred and fifty U.S. Marines in Australia doesn’t sound threatening.

But President Obama’s decision to deploy the Marines â€" rising to 2,500 â€" on a permanent basis in Darwin from next summer on is a powerful symbol for Beijing, which in the past few days has been told to act like a “grown-up” by the U.S. leader.

I’m all for playing hardball with China, and Obama probably thinks that talking tough will play well at home. “The United States is a Pacific power and we’re here to stay,” he told Australians in remarks that were actually designed for an assertive China.

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