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How could an Aukus role for Tokyo affect China’s ties with Japan?
- Japan has been touted as a potential partner for the US-led alliance that has China in its sights
- The relationship between the two Asian giants is already ‘complex and delicate’, despite their intertwined economies
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With Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington this week, the talk on both sides of the Pacific was of a potential tie-up between Tokyo and Aukus.
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Aukus is a security partnership between Australia, Britain, and the United States but there have been suggestions for some time that Japan could contribute to the pact’s so-called Pillar II, which focuses on developing advanced capabilities such as quantum and undersea technology.
On Monday, Beijing was quick to dismiss the idea, saying the pact – which revolves around the transfer of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia – would “increase the risk of nuclear proliferation” and “escalate the arms race” in the region.
In the end, little changed, with Kishida saying “nothing has been decided at this moment” on Japan’s direct cooperation with Aukus.
Nevertheless, Chinese observers say that the direction of travel is clear: Tokyo is tilting more towards US-led security structures.
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China warns Aukus against going down ‘dangerous road’ over nuclear-powered submarine pact
China warns Aukus against going down ‘dangerous road’ over nuclear-powered submarine pact
China and Japan are at odds over a range of issues, from the long-standing territorial dispute over the Diaoyu Islands – known as the Senkakus in Japan – to the discharge of waste water from the stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant.
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