According to a Global Strat View analysis, China’s relations with important regional partners including as Australia, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United States are deteriorating by the day. Smaller states have also had poor relations with China due to the latter’s infringement on their maritime borders. All of these countries have accused China of using military threats to perpetuate its hegemony, infringing on other countries’ sovereign boundaries and suppressing opponents.
Recent confrontations between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh, have suggested “growing instability” in the Indo-Pacific area. China’s blatant threats against Taiwan raise the prospect of “political and military hostilities” in the area, according to Global Strait View.
According to the news source, India has sufficient military capacity to counter Chinese aggression. Furthermore, the US-led west block is designed to safeguard Taiwan against Chinese invasion. In such a setting, any military miscalculation can lead to massive armed confrontations, “turning the Indo-Pacific area into a warzone,” according to the Global Strat View research.
In 2020, Chinese and Indian army forces battled over a border issue. Chinese patrolling soldiers attempted to cross the LAC in the Yangtse region of Tawang in December 2022. However, Indian troops prevented Chinese forces from invading Indian territory and compelled them to return to their positions.
Nations in the South and East China Seas are likewise preparing to face China’s military might.
Japan is concerned about China’s claim on the Senkaku island. Japan has felt the higher probability of armed conflict due to China’s growing offensive in the region over Taiwan. Tokyo has withdrawn restrictions on military build-up.
Japan in its new security strategy described China as “the biggest strategic challenge.” China’s name was mentioned even before nations like North Korea and Russia, as per the Global Strat View report. China has responded to Japan’s new security strategy by sending warships close to Japan. China has been sending its navy ships through Japanese islands.
The South Korean government is also facing tremendous pressure as it gets trapped between the US and China, according to the Global Strat View report. However, South Koreans want their country to be prepared to counter China, as public opinion about China has grown negative in recent years.
According to surveys, South Koreans are confident in their alliance with the US and favour nuclear weapons as a deterrent to China’s ambition. Many Indo-Pacific states are edging closer to the US because they see China’s hegemony, military expansion, and threats as ‘unhealthy’ for the region’s peace, prosperity, and stability.
