During the Shangri La discussion, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida snatched the strategic cynosure with his statement about Japan bolstering its military capabilities in the next five years, including one with a counter-strike option.
As long as pacifist Japan wakes up to the threat posed by Communist China in East Asia, the term “counterstrike” has sent shockwaves across China. Nobuo Kishi, Kishida’s defence minister, also chastised Japan’s nuclear neighbours for holding and developing nuclear weapons as well as breaking laws.
The declarations came in response to the danger posed by joint military drills between China and Russia employing nuclear bombers in the East China Sea on May 24, the same day as the QUAD meeting in Tokyo.
The world watched as US Defense secretary Lloyd Austin met with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, who also met with his Australian colleague Richard Marles on the fringes of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, only with focus obviously on Chinese belligerence in the Indo-Pacific.
While the Chinese Minister blamed the United States for interfering in Taiwanese affairs, the primary takeaway from the Singapore meeting was Japan’s understanding of the danger and its response.
After speaking with numerous diplomats who attended the meeting, it was clear that the Ukraine crisis was simply the frosting on the cake, with all countries concerned about the Indo-Pacific region’s instability and China-“no Russia’s limits” connection. The danger to Australia, Japan, and the United States has been compounded by China’s recent efforts in Oceania, since a Chinese military station in the Far Pacific will enable everlasting leader Xi Jinping full reign over the Indo-Pacific and tactically surround Taiwan.
Intelligence chiefs from 22 nations gathered on the sidelines of the discussion to review the global security and economic situation in the aftermath of the Ukraine war and Chinese engagement in the area. It is clear that a warning has been issued for nations such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Mongolia, who have become trapped in the Chinese debt trap due to excessive debt-to-GDP ratios, inflation, and a sharp depreciation of the local currency versus the raging dollar. There will be widespread political instability in the area unless coordinated action is made to revitalise the subcontinent’s economies.
Mongolia is completely reliant on China due to severe covid regulations on the mainland. Inflation is at an all-time high in China, and there are presently supply shortages. Mongolia is suffering currency depreciation and a scarcity of dollars to buy food as a result of China’s Zero Covid policy and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The country’s state debt is 81 percent of GDP.
While the meeting explored global areas of concern, the major focus remains Taiwan and its implications for the Indo-Pacific in the event of a Chinese-instigated military emergency.
Japan’s prime minister threatened that Ukraine will be the East Asia of future, and his defence minister named China as a country to be concerned about. This plainly implies that the internal discussion over Japan’s long-standing pacifist policy was heating up by the day, prompting the leadership to respond with military action.
Despite the fact that India has not sent its defence minister to the Singapore conversation, it was clear to the attendees that ASEAN countries are still on the fence when it comes to Chinese belligerence. The truth is that some of them are just searching for a commercial opportunity during the crisis, while others quietly admit that they are unable of dealing with Beijing’s rampage.
image credits: IISS
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