I’ve been predicting that as China becomes more assertive an Indo-Pacific alliance is going to form in response. Look for India to enter into this framework at some point. While I am in no way a Sinophobe, I would prefer that China was contained, but in a way that bypasses US hegemony as much as possible. I am for as much global decentralization as possible.

By Dr. Stephen Nagy & Dr. Phar Kim Beng Geopolitical Monitor

China’s use of economic coercion, grey zone operations in the East and South China Seas, and threats to reunify Taiwan by force are part of a growing plethora of concerns that are linked to Japan, Australia and other like-minded countries adopting defence postures to what China itself has admitted is an explicit effort by China “to shape an ideological environment conducive to its rise and to counter Western values.”

To counter China’s revisionist intentions, on January 6th Japan and Australia in a virtual summit signed a reciprocal access agreement  (RAA). The agreement places bilateral relations only second to each respective country’s alliance with the United States. It signals that Canberra and Tokyo see bilateral security cooperation critical to anchoring the United States into the broader Indo-Pacific. It also speaks to the importance of investing in security partnerships that complement, but also are independent from the United States.

The RAA is important for both partners to access each other’s territories for joint training and the deployment of resources such as troops, warships, and submarines. Simultaneously, it is an opportunity for Japan and Australia to further align their security, trade, and diplomatic policies in the Indo-Pacific. This will be consequential for harmonising foreign policy vis-à-vis Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands.  This harmonisation will not be exclusive to bilateral cooperation; rather, it will be dependent on the regional and functional focus of various strategic imperatives.

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