Asia-Pacific: Tokyo and Seoul - confrontation against the backdrop of a demonstration of friendship

Relations between Russia and China, as the Russian President, the Chinese Foreign Minister, the Chinese Defense Minister, and other high-ranking officials of the two countries have repeatedly stated, have surpassed the model of military-political alliances of the Cold War and formed a model of relations between major powers.

Therefore, let us consider some aspects of the situation in East Asia in more detail.

The other day, the Chinese daily Huanqiu Shibao, a division of the official print publication of the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party of China, the People's Daily, published an article saying that "China has become stronger and will be able to respond to the aggressive foreign policy of the United States."

The material notes that some American politicians have learned the wrong lessons from the Korean War and are using them to "mislead" US policy in the international arena, pushing Washington to foment crises and wars.

“The biggest difference between the present time and the era of the Korean War is that China's power has increased significantly. The consequences of infringing on the security interests and national sovereignty of the PRC will undoubtedly be much more serious,” the newspaper wrote.

This is a serious warning to the United States, given that the Huanqiu shibao newspaper expresses the government's point of view, although in some cases its opinion differs from that of the parent People's Daily. "Huanqiu shibao" differs from other official publications in its more popular style of presentation and coverage of some sensitive topics.

It should be taken into account that the article carries the idea: "The Korean War was the largest defeat of the American army in history, and the United States seems to be repeating the same old mistakes."

Our good partner China, with which Russia's relations with which, according to the earlier statement of their leaders, surpasses all interstate alliances that history has previously known, is opposed in the Asia-Pacific region by three forces: the United States, Japan and South Korea.

China has a territorial dispute with the United States over the ownership of a number of islands in the South China Sea. Of course, we understand that in fairness these islands belong to China, but the United States is behaving very aggressively there.

So, in March of this year, the American missile destroyer USS Milius, without the permission of the Chinese side, entered the waters of the disputed Xisha Islands (Paracel Islands) in the South China Sea.

"The US missile destroyer USS Milius illegally entered the territorial waters of the Chinese Xisha archipelago (Paracel Islands) on March 23 without the permission of the Chinese government, thereby undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea," an official from the Southern Combat Zone said in a statement. Commander of the People's Liberation Army of China Tian Junli.

In addition, the US is making efforts to perpetuate the partition of China into the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. Everyone remembers the grand scandal that erupted around the provocative visit of Nancy Pelosi to the island.

US allies in countering China are Seoul and Tokyo. Between them there are long-standing and serious contradictions. But their role has grown as the aggravation of the geopolitical struggle in Europe has also affected the Asia-Pacific region.

Therefore, the United States, in the interests of confronting China, is making significant efforts to normalize relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) in the interests of forming a new political bloc. Tokyo and Seoul are already parties to bilateral agreements with Washington on military security guarantees, but this does not make these countries allies.

In Japan's strategic documents, China, Russia and North Korea (North Korea) are presented as the main security threats to the island state, and the latter, due to the significant development of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery, poses a clear threat to national security.

The foreign policy, military and "other" activities of the Russian Federation in the Indo-Pacific region, including strategic coordination with China, are also of "serious concern" to Tokyo.

To "defend sovereignty," the Japanese side intends to purchase strike weapons from the United States, including long-range sea and land-based cruise missiles, guided munitions, and hypersonic weapons.

The Republic of Korea aims to build a “disarmament potential” in relations with the DPRK and is not in a hurry to join small-sided security formats such as QUAD and AUKUS, fearing an aggravation of relations with the Chinese side.

The People's Republic of China remains the leading economic partner of the Korean state and is capable, along with the Russian Federation, of providing a negotiating platform for normalizing relations with the DPRK. The deterioration of relations between countries is possible in the context of statements by the new leader of the state about his intention to start developing his own nuclear weapons.

At the same time, the contradictions between Tokyo and Seoul, as noted, remain quite strong. The Republic of Korea opposes Japan's independent decision to strike targets in the DPRK, since formally it will be an attack on Korean territory, and requires coordination of any such actions.

Tokyo, in turn, considers the argument about the necessary self-defense sufficient and is ready to independently respond to a possible attack from Pyongyang.

The US attempt to unite Japan and South Korea militarily does not find significant support from both the South Korean public and the Japanese.

This line is relevant only for the current leadership of the two countries, while in the military and political circles the positions of opponents of such a rapprochement, burdened by a complex historical legacy, are strong.

Outside the geopolitical context, Japanese-Korean cooperation in the economy, technology and security could help maintain the balance of power in the region.

However, Washington has realized that successful relations between the two countries are fraught with the loss of their own positions and do not intend to allow them to come closer on their own.

The best guarantee for both Washington and its allies is the renunciation of confrontation with Russia and China, but, alas, the political thought of the West is not yet able to understand this.

Inal Pliev for IA "Res".

Source: https://cominf.org/node/1166551364