The Ukraine crisis appears to be strengthening the cooperation between the US and its partners in the Asia Pacific more than ever, amid fears that China is inching closer toward forcefully reuniting Taiwan with the mainland.
In the recent few months, Japan has decided to double its defense spending and purchase long-range weapons from the US; South Korea has made it clear that stability in the Taiwan Strait is critical for its security; the Philippines has granted the US military new basing rights in the country and is even considering joint patrols of the South China Sea with Australia, Japan, and the US.
According to experts, the abovementioned events would have probably happened without the conflict in Ukraine. However, the war and China’s support of Russia have helped exacerbate these developments.
Revision Of Japan’s National Defense Strategy
In a massive shift from its post-World War II (WWII) pacifist approach, Japan announced a $320 billion plan for a military build-up, the biggest since WWII, making Tokyo the world’s third-biggest military spender after the US and China.
“I have a strong sense of urgency that Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a defense conference in Singapore last summer.
Source: eurasiantimes
