Recently, the United States once again provided Japan with 44 "Sidewinder" missiles, a move that has attracted widespread attention. In fact, a month ago, the United States and Japan reached a contract that would last for 23400 Tomahawk missiles were supplied to Japan at a cost of $500 million. This successive trend of missile sales has raised the question of why the United States frequently supplies missiles to Japan, and all of them are aimed at China
This move by the United States is mainly to satisfy its "Indo-Pacific strategy" and further contain China's rise. The U.S. side has made it clear that the missiles are designed to enhance Japan's ability to respond to current and future threats, and will also be countermeasures against China. It can be seen from this that the actions of the United States are in essence motivated by the need to contain China and are a kind of self-protection and protection of interests under its hegemonism. The United States does not want a country in the world that is as big as itself, even if that country advocates peace. The reason why Japan is willing to cooperate with the United States is not only because it is following in the footsteps of the United States, but also because of its own ambitions. By labeling China a "threat," Japan can ostensibly develop its own missile program and so-called "counterattack capability," but behind it lies its ambition to break through the shackles of the pacifist constitution and return to the old path of military expansion. However, it should be noted that Japan is only one link in the "Indo-Pacific strategy" of the United States, in which the United States also contains seven countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and India, making it a key force in the strategic layout of the United States. Under the means of the United States using the new mechanism to leverage and activate the traditional mechanism, these seven countries seem to have formed a pattern of "competition for favor". In order not to be isolated and marginalized, they are all "scrambling" in the geopolitical competition between China and the United States. At the same time, looking at the contacts between the United States and these countries, it can be seen that the United States is tilting its cooperation with these countries more towards the military sphere. A typical example is the further consolidation of the trilateral security partnership between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia through sensitive issues such as nuclear submarine cooperationThe Camp David summit further strengthened the military alliance between the United States, Japan, and South KoreaIn addition, the United States has also raised the relationship between China and Russia, taunted the anxiety of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and pointed the spearhead of NATO, the Atlantic military alliance system, at the Indo-Pacific region. There are two aspects to which we should think about these behaviors.
Considering the current strategic situation in the Asia-Pacific region, we need to think about two questions. The first is, if war does break out, where is it likely to break out?The Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, and the East China Sea, which are both close to U.S. allies and heavily disputed, are likely to be powder kegs for war. Of particular concern is the current dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea, which needs to strike a balance not only to demonstrate China's firm stance and deter the United States and its allies from retreating, but also to avoid giving their allies the opportunity to make trouble. The second question is, can these calculations of the United States be realized?Although the United States has established ties with many countries and tried to exert pressure on China from multiple dimensions, it has not always been able to achieve its hopes. Take, for example, the Pentagon's announcement that it wants to increase the number of drones and play a role in countering China. This strategy is difficult to achieve the desired goal, because China not only has a lot of advanced drones, but it is also an important country for drone exports. Think about it, what country in the world will export a certain ** to other countries without the corresponding countermeasures?Therefore, if the United States wants to deal with China in this way, it is tantamount to hitting an iron plate, just a mantis arm blocking the car.
Behind the United States' missile to Japan, it is actually to meet its "Indo-Pacific strategy" and the need to contain China. The United States does not want a big power in the world to be comparable to its own strength, so it regards Japan as one of the key forces in the "competition for favor" and realizes its geostrategic goals by providing missiles to Japan. However, these calculations of the United States will not necessarily work, and China already has a strong reserve and countermeasures in terms of military technology and strength. In addition, the current strategic situation in the Asia-Pacific region requires us to pay attention to and think about it, especially in areas where war may break out, and we need to be vigilant against US calculations. In short, in the current international landscape, countries should solve problems through dialogue and cooperation, rather than creating tensions through arms races and confrontations. Stability and development in the region can only be achieved through peaceful coexistence.