Japan Institute for National Fundamentals
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Speaking out

Tadae Takubo

【#236】New Major Power Relations Conflicting with Alliance

Tadae Takubo ／ 2014.03.06 (Thu)


March 3, 2014

　　　　　　Michael Auslin, resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, represented U.S. allies' concern over the Obama administration's Asian policy on The Wall Street Journal on February 3: "The real danger for Washington is that it becomes seen as a paper tiger. The Obama administration has never made clear just what its goals are in Asia. Is it to promote democracy and liberalism? That certainly doesn't seem to be high on the list, given the failure to confront Chinese human rights abuses or link together other democracies."

Obama's Asian policy has become clear
　　　　　　But I think the Obama administration's Asian policy has become clear. Obama is continuously urging U.S. Asian allies to enhance bilateral alliances while attempting to solidify a “new model of major power relations” with China, an Asian trouble maker. Japan will have to watch if the major power relationship conflicts with alliances.
　　　　　　　President Barack Obama will tour Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Malaysia in April. Japanese media reports have mostly described President Obama as attempting to coordinate between Japan and South Korea that have disputed over historical problems. But we have to pay attention to a point that the four countries have more or less territorial disputes with China. It may be significant for Obama to call for enhancing bilateral alliances or friendship in the four countries and demonstrate the United States' solidarity with these Asian countries vis-a-vis China.
　　　　　　With China, the Obama administration has steadily been building a "new model of major power relations” as urged by Chinese President Xi Jinping in his speech when he visited Washington as vice president in 2012. President Xi proposed the initiative anew at his meeting with President Obama in California last June. In her speech last November, President Obama's National Security Adviser Susan Rice vowed to operationalize the new model of major power relations.

Concern lingering over U.S. policy on Senkakus
　　　　　　The new model of major power relations effectively means that the United States and China respect each other's interests. The problem is that China demands the United States to respect China’s "core interests." Last year, China unilaterally labeled the Senkaku Islands as a core interest. How will the United States respond to it? Will the United States propose to shelve the Senkaku problem and suppress Japan's dissatisfaction?
The enhancement of alliances conflicts with the promotion of the new model of major power relations. Allies must have common enemies. If the United States as alliance leader has a non-war agreement with China, U.S.-led alliances will become worthless.
Some short-sighted mass media bash Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, focusing on nominal developments. Why don't they pay attention to the fact that Japan faces a serious crisis while being sandwiched between the United States and China?

Tadae Takubo is Vice President, Japan Institute for National Fundamentals.