The talks were reported to have defined the "joint strategic target" which called on the two countries to hold in check "north Korea's provocations" in view of the "uncertain security situation" in the Asia-Pacific region and strengthen the security cooperation system with south Korea and Australia.

This indicates that the U.S. is persistently pushing forward the creation of a NATO-style military bloc with the aim to stifle the DPRK, the bulwark in the struggle for socialism and independence against imperialism, and contain "potential enemies" including China in the region.

Lurking behind these moves is a strategic scenario to realize the ambition for hegemony by changing the political and military structure in the region in its favor.

In the new century, China, India and other countries in the region make rapid progress and appear newly emerging powers and the world political, economic and military center is being shifted to the region from Europe. Moreover, the economic influence of the newly emerging powers in the region upon the allies is daily increasing. This sets stage for considerably weakening the sphere of influence of the U.S. over the region.

As early as in May 2001, the U.S. in its Asia strategy report set it as its new strategic goal to create a military alliance capable of containing the "potential enemies" in the region including China and putting under its control such allies as Japan and south Korea.

For the last decade the U.S. has systematically pushed forward the moves to create "NATO of Asian version" with the alliance with Japan, south Korea and Australia as the core and grouping even East Asian countries.

It started the three-party security talks with Japan and Australia. A particular mention should be made of the fact that it held "two plus two" talks as a framework for permanently binding Japan while deliberately allowing its military advance overseas.

It, at the same time, frantically staged military exercises to round off the multi-national military cooperation system in the region under the pretext of "PSI."

As a result, the U.S.-led "NATO of Asian version" began to loom in the region.

The U.S. moves for hegemony are arousing global concern as they are fraught with the danger of sparking another Cold War.

It is a bitter lesson drawn by the history in the last century that Cold War is accompanied by a hot war and it is bound to bring catastrophic consequences to the world peace and stability.

The Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Iran-Iraq War, the Afghan War and other worldwide wars brought many countries and their peoples immeasurable sufferings and damage and seriously disturbed peace and stability.

The consequences of the Cold War are far from eradicated and the situation in different regions including the Korean Peninsula is being strained day by day.

The U.S. is set to create the new military alliance with Northeast Asia as a center and use it as shock brigade for invading the DPRK and as a lever for encircling and containing the "potential enemies" including China.

This may bring irretrievable consequences to the Asia-Pacific region, a strategic center in the 21st century, and the rest of the world.

The hegemonic forces pursuing confrontation and war against the trend of peace, development and cooperation are arousing the growing vigilance of the countries in the region. They are bound to meet fiasco due to their reactionary and reckless nature.