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Multiple developments in recent weeks reinforce the US military’s new hyperfocus on China:
- There is a new agreement between the US and Japan that will redesignate US Marines stationed on Japan, allowing them to fire anti-ship missiles.
These military moves give the impression of resolve and focus that the US will help protect the democratic, self-governing island of Taiwan in the event of direct Chinese aggression.
China’s ruling Communist Party views Taiwan as part of its territory, despite never having controlled it, and has refused to rule out the use of military force to bring about what it calls “reunification.” The US provides Taiwan with defensive weapons but has remained intentionally ambiguous on whether it would intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese attack.
Top US officials such as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley have said US intelligence suggests China’s goal is to be able to strengthen its military capabilities to levels required to potentially attack and seize Taiwan by 2027, something which analysts believe it does not possess at present.
If you look at a map, the Philippines, where the US has expanded its existing access to bases, is just south of Taiwan. The Japanese island of Okinawa, where Marines are stationed, is to the north.
Writing about the Marines on Okinawa, CNN’s team has reported that the Pentagon is certainly aiming to be ready for any conflict with China – noting “the Pentagon’s desire to shift from the wars of the past in the Middle East to the region of the future in the Indo-Pacific. The change comes as simulated war games from a prominent Washington think tank found that Japan, and Okinawa in particular, would play a critical role in a…
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