Performance at the beginning of the week?
Military alliance against China is probably growing
April 7, 2024, 4:48 p.m
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The anti-China Aukus alliance is set to grow, according to a report. Accordingly, Japan and the Philippines are being discussed as new members. Corresponding plans are to be made public at the beginning of the week.
According to a newspaper report, the Pacific military alliance Aukus is to be expanded to include additional states as a counterweight to China. The three Aukus countries Australia, USA and Great Britain would announce corresponding plans on Monday, writes the “Financial Times” (FT). Apparently the Philippines and – especially at the instigation of the USA – Japan are in view.
US Ambassador to Tokyo Rahm Emanuel wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that Japan was on track to become Aukus’ next partner. A U.S. government official also told Reuters last Wednesday that an announcement on Japan’s role was expected next week. US President Joe Biden, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida want to meet on Thursday.
A spokesman for the Australian Department of Defense said in response to the FT report that Minister Richard Marles had already stated publicly and to Japan that they were looking for ways to integrate additional partners into Aukus. “Japan is an essential defense partner for Australia,” the spokesman said. Neither the White House Security Council in Washington nor the Japanese and Chinese foreign ministries responded to requests. The same applied to the British defense department.
The USA would like to include Japan in the alliance, but still sees some catching up to do. The country must improve in cyber security and the protection of secret information. Deputy Foreign Minister Kurt Campbell said: “Japan has adopted some steps, but not all.”
The Aukus alliance, founded in 2021, has already agreed that Australia will be equipped with nuclear submarines. Aukus is also seen as protection for Taiwan, which China sees as a breakaway province and where invasion has long been feared. China’s neighbors in the Pacific also complain that the country is asserting ever-expanding territorial claims in the region. There have been repeated open conflicts with the Philippines over sovereign rights in the South China Sea.