posted on Dec, 17 2013 @ 04:23 PM
I would not call this so much an arms build up as an arms catch up. The Asian states (excluding South Korea and Taiwan) like most of Europe have been
lagging behind on defense spending for awhile with no real threat and the US in area to keep the peace. Now with China growing and flexing the other
states are of course going to patch some of the holes they have been leaving open depending on the US to fill them. You can expect Japan and ASEAN
(Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam) to working much more closely with each other.
And as Japan and South Korea are US allies so are several members of ASEAN Philippines, Singapore, Thailand. An no suprise this week the Sec State
was in Vietnam in what is quickly becoming the next US ally in the region. Also among ASEAN are members of the Five Power Defence Arrangements which
include the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. When you look at things from China's view you have one big bloc of countries US,
Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and
Vietnam all bound together by various treaties at its door step, that is no doubt scarey. Add to that Russia and India with whom China has uneasy
peace with both and you can understand China's drive to build up.
Of course China is completely inept at diplomacy and while they could have been building up with support of the asian states their own failures in
understanding how to deal with the rest of the world has resulted in the exact opposite. The creation of this air defense zone is great example.
They just sort of did it without thining about it. And then seemed suprised at the push back. Another great example was in storm in the Phillipines,
a great opportunity to show China is part of the Asian community and force for good. They could have flooded money and aid and bought lots of good
will and gone a long way to toning down the fear of fellow ASEAN members. Instead China sent less than Ikea with 1.6 million in aid. This is China's
real problem, so long isolated she is completely lost on the international scene.
edit on 17-12-2013 by MrSpad because: (no reason given)