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NATO’s outreach to Asia is a very perilous step
Japan's recent push to expand military cooperation beyond bilateral and multilateral exercises with select NATO member states to the entire 31-member alliance poses a potentially significant threat to regional peace and stability.
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US Navy and Japan Air Self-Defense Force aircraft fly in formation over the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)on June 1, 2017 in the Sea of Japan.
(AFP/-)
T
he report by Nikkei Asia on May 3 mentioning that NATO plans are underway to establish a liaison office in Japan next year, with the ostensible objective of fostering coordination with key regional partners across the Indo-Pacific theatre, including close allies such as Australia, South Korea and New Zealand, is certainly very disturbing news for regional peace and stability.
Such incendiary steps may prove to be extremely destabilizing in the region, leading to more tensions and strains. For quite some time, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has been propagating the case for the establishment of a liaison office in Tokyo as a part of NATO’s outreach plan in the Indo-Pacific.
This move was first discussed between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Stoltenberg earlier this year as part of efforts to deepen connections between Tokyo and the Western security alliance. Reportedly, negotiations are also currently underway to sign an Individually Tailored Partnership Program (ITPP) between the two entities before the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania this July.
Of course, this push to extend NATO's reach into the Asia-Pacific will create more worries. While Stoltenberg has made a point of emphasizing the importance of strengthening ties with key players in the area, China has already made it clear that it opposes any attempts by NATO to expand its reach in the Asia-Pacific region.
Beijing has been condemning such efforts, warning against the establishment of an "Asia-Pacific version of NATO" and making clear its opposition to any foreign military involvement in the region. With tensions simmering and power dynamics in flux, the establishment of a NATO liaison office in Japan will prove to be a major flashpoint in the ongoing geopolitical struggle for influence in the Indo-Pacific.
China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang said in March during his maiden news conference that the United States “Indo-Pacific Strategy” is in fact an “attempt to gang up to form exclusive blocs, to provoke a confrontation by plotting an Asia-Pacific version of NATO.”
Of late, Japan has been quite aggressive in its efforts to expand its sphere of influence in the Indo-Pacific region, in particular, it is seeking to enhance its presence in areas such as Southeast Asia, South Asia and the East and South China Seas. To achieve this goal, Japan is pursuing a multifaceted approach that includes enhancing its military capabilities, collaborating closely with the United States on its Indo-Pacific strategy, and seeking assistance from external partners.
