A critical move has come from the United States of America (USA), which strengthens military cooperation with its ally Japan. The US Army announced on 25 April 2024 that the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington will leave the country this week and set sail for Japan. In the statement, it was reported that the nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier “USS George Washington” left Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia on 25 April 2024 and headed for Yokosuka Base near Tokyo.
USS George Washington, which was deployed in Japan between 2008 and 2015, was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be permanently deployed in the country. The ship in question, which left Japan in 2015, transferred its duty to USS Ronald Reagan. It is stated that this time USS Ronald Reagan will leave Japan due to the US laws limiting the overseas missions of the US Navy ships to 10 years.
During the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumino Kishida to the United States on 12 April 2024, several agreements were signed between the two countries. US President Joe Biden said that the forces of the two countries will cooperate on a joint command structure and develop a new air missile defence network with Australia. During the meeting, which lasted about two hours, the leaders mainly discussed military issues in the Indo-Pacific region, as well as the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Regarding these developments, Kishida stated that he would act together with the US.[1]
Although not directly mentioned in the negotiations, we can say that the main purpose of these contacts is to send a message to China. Washington has announced that it will make some changes in order for the American troops in Japan to work in coordination with the Self-Defence Forces. On the other hand, Japan stated that it would increase its defense budget. Noting that the dialogue with China should continue, Kishida said that they discussed the Taiwan-China issue in their meetings in the US and promised to protect the international order based on the rule of law.[2]
Furthermore, on 8 April 2024, a joint naval exercise was held in the South China Sea by the United States, Australia, the Philippines and Japan. This four-nation exercise signaled that the countries would work together in the maritime domain to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. In response, the Chinese Army announced that the People’s Liberation Army was conducting a “strategic patrol” under the Southern Theatre Command.
Since 1954, the United States has been supporting Taiwan. However, after the breakdown of China’s alliance with the Soviet Union in the 1970s, due to China’s strategic importance, the US developed close relations with China by making commitments that it would accept the “One China” policy, recognice the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of the country and not sell arms to Taiwan. At this point, the US supports Taiwan within the scope of the “Taiwan Act” on the one hand and emphasises its commitment to China’s “One China” principle on the other.
The US is encircling China by sea through alliances with countries in the region. Therefore, the US sending a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to Japan means not only increasing Washington’s influence in the Indo-Pacific, but also accelerating the process of encircling China. Ensuring that the Indo-Pacific region remains “free and open” is the primary strategic aim of the Biden administration. It aims to protect the law of the sea, maintain open sea routes and the free flow of maritime trade, and support Taiwan. In this regard, the US is working to ensure that its military capabilities can be intertwined with local allies and partners in the context of “integrated deterrence”.[3]
The rising tensions between the United States and China over Taiwan have led to serious warnings from experts about the risk of a wider global conflict. David F. J. Campbell, Associate Professor at the University of Vienna, said that any military confrontation over Taiwan could be a breaking point for world peace and potentially lead to a world war III.[4] İstanbul’da Addressing the Stratcom Summit in Istanbul, Campbell underlined the precarious state of global relations with current conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine War and the recent tensions in Gaza. Stating that the US, with its policy of strategic ambiguity, has been observing the balance between China and Taiwan, Campbell warned that if this delicate balance is broken, it may lead to World War III.[5]
To conclude, the US is trying to encircle China in the region through alliances and agreements and to have a say in the Asia-Pacific. Besides, the US, which wants to observe the balance between the parties by following a policy of strategic ambiguity in the Taiwan-China issue, maintains its relations with China in this context, while announcing that it will support Taiwan on the other hand. The reason for the US support for Taiwan is that China has become a global economic giant over the years and has become its biggest rival in the international arena. Therefore, the US is building alliances against China around the world and demonstrates this by using the “Taiwan card”. This support for Taiwan conflicts with China’s “One China” policy goals and creates a strategic competitive environment.
[1] “US and Japan announce new military agreements aimed at countering China”, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/10/us-japan-military-agreement, (Date of Accesion: 29.04.2024).
[2] “Missiles and moon landings: US and Japan boost defence ties”, BBC, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68785295, (Date of Accesion: 29.04.2024).
[3] “America Prepares for a Pacific War With China It Doesn’t Want”, Foreign Policy, https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/09/16/us-china-marines-f-35-pacific-strategy-taiwan/, (Date of Accesion: 29.04.2024).
[4] “Expert Warns of Global Peril if US-China Tensions Over Taiwan Escalate”, Politics Today, https://politicstoday.org/expert-warns-of-global-peril-if-us-china-tensions-over-taiwan-escalate/, (Date of Accesion: 29.04.2024).
[5] Ibid.
