Nan Yang
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Rhetorical birth of an anti-China bulwark
QUOTE
There are risks, however. Compared to 2007, when the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue was first held, China is now far more economically, militarily and geopolitically powerful.
“Beijing is in a better position today to undermine the Indo-Pacific vision than it has ever been,” wrote Rohan Mukherjee, assistant professor of political science at Yale-NUS College in Singapore.
Mukherjee went on to write that both Japan and Australia rely on China for about 20% of their trade, which might prevent them from taking a firm anti-China position in the strategic realm, particularly if Beijing threatened retaliatory trade measures.
Analysts also note that there is no cross-party support for quadrilateral cooperation among Australia’s squabbling political parties, which might once again jeopardize talks.
Another concern is how committed the Trump White House is to the quadrilateral vision. His visit to Beijing this month reaffirmed his relationship with President Xi Jinping is close, a potential stumbling point in realizing any Indo-Pacific vision.
Moreover, Trump’s preference for bilateral arrangements is well-known, though his defense and diplomatic officials are certainly more open to multilateral tracks. His withdrawal in January from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact has raised questions about America’s future economic role in the region.
Source
http://www.atimes.com/article/rhetorical-birth-anti-china-bulwark/
QUOTE
There are risks, however. Compared to 2007, when the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue was first held, China is now far more economically, militarily and geopolitically powerful.
“Beijing is in a better position today to undermine the Indo-Pacific vision than it has ever been,” wrote Rohan Mukherjee, assistant professor of political science at Yale-NUS College in Singapore.
Mukherjee went on to write that both Japan and Australia rely on China for about 20% of their trade, which might prevent them from taking a firm anti-China position in the strategic realm, particularly if Beijing threatened retaliatory trade measures.
Analysts also note that there is no cross-party support for quadrilateral cooperation among Australia’s squabbling political parties, which might once again jeopardize talks.
Another concern is how committed the Trump White House is to the quadrilateral vision. His visit to Beijing this month reaffirmed his relationship with President Xi Jinping is close, a potential stumbling point in realizing any Indo-Pacific vision.
Moreover, Trump’s preference for bilateral arrangements is well-known, though his defense and diplomatic officials are certainly more open to multilateral tracks. His withdrawal in January from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact has raised questions about America’s future economic role in the region.
Source
http://www.atimes.com/article/rhetorical-birth-anti-china-bulwark/
