After a year of intense
diplomatic standoff and territorial brinkmanship among disputing states in the
South and East China Seas, the U.S. military ‘pivot’ to the region appears to be
in full swing - a move that could further aggravate an already combustible
regional dynamic.
Against the backdrop of Chinese
territorial assertiveness, the year started off with the bang of big-ticket U.S.
arms sales to treaty allies and strategic partners across the region, including
an expanded package of sophisticated military hardware featuring
state-of-the-art anti-missile systems and warplanes. On top of this, Washington
has also stepped-up its joint military exercises with Asian allies perched on
the forefront of ongoing territorial spats.
Building on its earlier promise
of greater commitment to the freedom of navigation in the Western Pacific, an
artery for global trade and energy transport, Washington aims to improve its
allies’ military capabilities in a bid to rein in Beijing’s strong-willed
territorial posturing.
Facing a stubborn economic
downturn at home, the dramatic boost in U.S. defence sales to the region
underlines Washington’s growing emphasis on a primarily military-oriented (as
opposed to trade-and-investment-driven) approach to re-asserting its position as
an ‘anchor of peace and stability’ in the region.
Among the biggest beneficiaries
of growing U.S. military commitment to the region is the Aerospace Industries
Association (AIA), a massive trade group that includes top Pentagon suppliers
such as Lockheed Martin Corp, Boeing Co and Northrop Grumman Corp. It
underscores the extent to which the U.S. ‘pivot’ has energised the American
industrial-military complex, further dimming the prospects for a peaceful
resolution of the ongoing disputes.
“(The pivot) will result in
growing opportunities for our industry to help equip our friends,” says Fred
Downey, vice-president for national security at the
AIA.
Since the formal commencement of
the U.S. pivot, after U.S. President Barack Obama’s fateful speech to the
Australian Parliament in November 2011, Washington has come under tremendous
pressure to reassure troubled allies such as Japan and the Philippines against
Beijing’s assertiveness. In response, the U.S. has beefed up its rotational
military presence across the Pacific, while expanding joint exercises - focusing
on maritime defence - with and military aid to Pacific
partners.
To calm China’s fears of a
U.S.-led regional containment strategy, Washington has also focused on deepening
economic integration within the Pacific Rim, specifically through the proposed
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trading agreement, which aims to facilitate the
flow of investments and goods among partner-nations. In addition, the U.S. has
also - at least in principle - underlined its support for diplomatic resolution
of ongoing territorial disputes in the South and East China
Seas.
However, the U.S. pronouncements
have failed to appease regional partners and deter Chinese assertiveness.
Beijing continues to accuse Washington of staging a concerted effort to deny
China its (perceived) legitimate interests, while allies have raised doubts as
to Washington’s ability - given its dire fiscal woes - to maintain regional
ascendancy.
Reflecting on fragile U.S.
finances, Ken Lieberthal, director of the Thornton China Center at the Brookings
Institute and former president Bill Clinton’s top China adviser, has stated,
“The most important single element to our (U.S.) success in Asia will be whether
domestically we get our house in order, whether domestically we’re able to adopt
and integrate a set of policies that will effectively address our fiscal
problems over time.”
Given TPP’s failure to gain
traction among major Pacific economies, and in the absence of any substantial
American investments and economic aid to strategic partners, Washington seems to
have instead opted for a full military pivot. The Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) inability to forge ahead with an effective diplomatic mechanism
to settle the disputes has only encouraged this
trend.
Since 2011, the U.S. worldwide
military sales have hovered above 60 billion dollars. In 2011, India alone accounted for a 6.9
billion dollar acquisition deal, underscoring New Delhi’s growing anxieties with
China’s massive naval buildup, especially in light of its substantial
energy-related investments in South China Sea. Last year, overall sales to
Pacific partners topped 13.7 billion dollars.
Building on its earlier arms
bonanza, the U.S. defence industry has started off the year with a large package
of flashy, cutting-edge arms sales to key partners in Northeast Asia: a 5
billion dollar Lockheed Martin radar-evading F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft
deal with Japan, a 1.85 billion dollar Lockheed Martin-led retrofitting of
Taiwan’s 145 F-16A/B fighters with advanced radars and electronic warfare suits,
and a 1.2 billion dollar Northrop Grumman high-flying RQ-4 “Global Hawk” spy
drone deal with South Korea.
Beyond propping up allies’
military capabilities to deal with a wide array of challenges, including China,
Washington has also encouraged further self-reliance and inter-operability among
regional allies, creating a so-called “inversed wall of China” across the
Western Pacific.
As a result, the newly-elected
Japanese government, under the hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has supported
Washington’s call for a more assertive Japanese regional role. Mr. Abe has
pushed for revitalised defence ties with Asian partners, enhanced
inter-operability with major naval powers in the Pacific such as Australia and
India, and expanded military aid to countries such as the Philippines. He has
also pushed for a so-called Asian “security diamond”, bringing together
likeminded Pacific powers concerned with a perceived Chinese
“threat”.
With Japan locked in a brewing
conflict with China over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea,
Washington has conducted a series of high-profile joint naval exercises with
Tokyo. In November, 47,000 Japanese and American military personnel took part in
the biennial Keen Sword exercise off Okinawa islands, which was originally
planned to act out the re-capture of disputed islands off the southern coast of
Japan. This was followed by a five-day joint air exercise in January, just days
after Japanese jets fended off Chinese aircraft surveying the disputed
islands.
Overall, the U.S. seems to be
gradually passing the buck to Asian partners, prodding them to bear a growing
share of defense costs vis-à-vis China’s perceived expansionism. Meanwhile,
there is little indication of a renewed push for a diplomatic resolution of the
territorial disputes.
AHT/ARA
- Latest News
- Top Hits