In Geopolitics Today - Tuesday, June 7th
China and Cambodia Set to Begin Joint Port Project, Japan’s Military is Integrating into NATO, US Imperatives in the Middle East
China and Cambodia Set to Begin Joint Port Project
The construction of a large naval base in Cambodia by Chinese companies has caused concerns of Chinese military expansion in other capitals. A joint Chinese-Cambodian venture, an expansion of Ream Naval Base has been described by Cambodian officials as a symbol of cooperation between China and Cambodia. Leaders in Beijing and Phnom Penh insist the project is not meant to facilitate China’s naval assets, but officials from the United States have warned that an exclusive Chinese military presence at the naval base could “undermine regional security.”
Cambodia’s chief government spokesperson described the expansion of the Ream Naval Base as “cooperation between China and Cambodia” but rejected it will be used as a Chinese base. US officials are concerned because a Chinese base in Cambodia could be used to project power around the strategically important Malacca Strait. Ream Naval Base faces the Gulf of Thailand, adjacent to the South China Sea, where China and the US and its allies regularly conduct naval drills and readiness manoeuvres aimed at each other. Washington has rejected Beijing’s political claims over the South China Sea, and routinely conducts military manoeuvres in the area in an effort to reinforce the idea that these are international waters. In addition, Washington is now building a coalition of regional powers in a bid to contain China’s economic influence and power projection capabilities.
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Japan’s Military is Integrating into NATO
The Japanese military is continuing to integrate into NATO’s operational structures. Japanese and NATO officials recently agreed to further step up military cooperation and joint exercises by stating shared concerns over the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the security environment in Europe and Asia. Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said that Japan welcomes NATO's expanded involvement in the Indo-Pacific region.
Meetings between NATO and Japan’s officials are becoming more regular and senior-level meetings increasingly occur. In May, Japanese Military Chief of Staff joined a meeting of NATO counterparts in Belgium, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been openly invited to the NATO summit later this month. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet has approved policy plan that calls for a drastic strengthening of Japans defence capabilities and spending within five years. The plan calls for pre-emptive strike capabilities, the development of space, cyber and electromagnetic defence and unmanned weapons.
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US Imperatives in the Middle East
Strategic disengagement from the Middle East in order to focus on constraining China and Russia could come at a cost for the United States. As Washington appears to settle into an ambiguous strategic disengagement from the Middle East, the country could just as easily find itself embroiled in the region. Without a security architecture in the Middle East where the US gets a say, long-simmering tensions and anti-American sentiment could erupt into a regional conflict that would damage US interests and likely require military intervention.
Establishing a balance of power in the Middle East is crucial to US interests, particularly in facilitating the movement of energy resources. In this regard, the relationship between Iran and the Arab-Israeli coalition has played a leading role in Washington’s efforts at maintaining a status quo that is conductive to US interests. A military disengagement therefore does not mean that engagement in other areas will cease. The opposite in fact may come to be true, as the US government would benefit significantly from a renewed geostrategic approach to the Middle East, one which relies less on military power and more on diplomacy and economics as the primary instruments to maintain a favourable balance of power in the Middle East.
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