Japan, S Korea, Australia, New Zealand eye summit on NATO fringes

Yeah, despite South Korea being a US ally, its cooperation with Japan will be riddled with a lot of friction. What's more is that South Korea is quite friendlier towards China compared to Japan as Seoul considers Beijing as a mediator with the North. Forming a NATO-esque regional bloc in the Western Pacific will just prompt China, Russia and the North to form their own alliance and possible lead into the bipolarization of the region.

NATO is clearly destined to amend it's purpose if not it's name. The world is now divided into the Democracies, and the Autocracies. From the viewpoint of the former, the latter pose a threat to the peace and stability of the world. With Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's continued threat of invdading Taiwan, this is no idle speculation.

Wasting resources, Asian nations should be taking care of their own backyard. Of all nations that makes the most attractive target for China, it's Japan and South Korea, because China would have a winfall economically if Japan or South Korea is mired in conflict.

Similarly, Taiwan and Malaysia are very attractive strategic target because of locations, and I dare say if the situation worsen, the first country to be attacked by China will be Malaysia, then Taiwan.

Forming a NATO-esque regional bloc in the Western Pacific will just prompt China, Russia and the North to form their own alliance and possible lead into the bipolarization of the region.

They already have, remember "Strategic Partner Without Limits"?

Like it or not, China is on the march, the problem in Europe is of its own making, NATO member's own making, especially Germany its most influential member. Asian nations should just stay out of it.

More important is to strengthen the Malacca strait (Malaysia). Because the SCS and Malacca strait, is Japan's lifeline for energy, raw materials and export trade. If Japan doesn't shore it up, it will likely fall into China's controls, and it may have already be too late given Sri Lanka's situation.

ToshihiroToday  08:03 am JST

Yeah, despite South Korea being a US ally, its cooperation with Japan will be riddled with a lot of friction. What's more is that South Korea is quite friendlier towards China compared to Japan as Seoul considers Beijing as a mediator with the North

Certainly true during the past 5 years. But it's too soon to tell if South Korea is taking a definite turn for the better under the new Yoon administration.

Just make it NATO-Asia Pacific Quest!

Forming a NATO-esque regional bloc in the Western Pacific will just prompt China, Russia and the North to form their own alliance and possible lead into the bipolarization of the region.

China and Russia already have their own "alliance," and North Korea has nothing to bring to the table. A NATO-like organization (WPTO?) including India would be a game-changer, particularly if, like NATO, its high barriers to entry prod some countries such as Thailand and Vietnam to straighten their houses.

Yeah, despite South Korea being a US ally, its cooperation with Japan will be riddled with a lot of friction. What's more is that South Korea is quite friendlier towards China compared to Japan as Seoul considers Beijing as a mediator with the North

Younger South Koreans view Japan more favorably than they view China.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/20/world/asia/korea-china-election-young-voters.html

China did not help their cause by claiming kimchi originated in China, or a Chinese film depicting ancient Koreans eating preserved eggs and moon cakes. The kimchi dispute has actually become a very big deal.

https://www.economist.com/asia/2021/06/03/south-koreas-cultural-spats-with-china-are-growing-more-intense

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-china-kimchi/south-koreans-chinese-clash-on-social-media-over-chinese-style-kimchi-winning-international-certificate-idUSKBN28A2NQ

And what would NZ do to help? Send some people with fly swats?

China’s manufacturing might is waning. Factories are shutting down and companies are fleeing because of energy shortage. Most of the power plants are dependent on foreign coal specifically Australia and Indonesia and China engaging in a trade war with Australia is not allowing coal cargo ships from Australia. China will soon become inconsequential making way for the West to rule the New World Order.

And what would NZ do to help? Send some people with fly swats?

NZ keeps an eye on the Pacific north to it and to the east and down to Antarctica.

They're involved in detection.

It's time they resurrected a combat wing, because the peacekeeping role needs to have a few more teeth in today's context.

Further shows that the notion of NATO as a defensive alliance is nonsense. Expansionist at best, aggressive at worst.

The idiotic US behaviors in eastern Europe have irreversibly pushed Russia into Chinese arms. Now we have not one, but two super powers work in tandem.

It's cold war 2.0, except you face USSR on steroid this time around, power struggle on this scale could take decades to resolve

Since they will all be there anyway, it makes sense to put the time together to good use.

the first country to be attacked by China will be Malaysia, then Taiwan.

China will never attack Malaysia. Wishful thinking, isn't it?

China will soon become inconsequential making way for the West to rule the New World Order.

LOL, what did you drink? I want to try this as well.

wall-to-wall summits lately.... all those politicians and hangers-on making up for lost (Covid) time..... still.... I'm sure they'll soon have all the world's problems sorted.

KaerimashitaToday  01:42 pm JST

Further shows that the notion of NATO as a defensive alliance is nonsense. Expansionist at best, aggressive at worst.

NATO is not expansionist. NATO gets larger only if countries apply to join. It is not aggressive because it does not invade other countries to expand.

Russia is trying to get larger by invading another country. That is what is called "expansionist".

China will soon become inconsequential making way for the West to rule the New World Order.

LOL, what did you drink? I want to try this as well.

China is at its peak today. This is as good as it gets for China. The working age population has declined each year since 2014 and the overall population is now beginning a long decline. China's Total Fertility Rate is only 1.6-1.7 and in the north it is about 0.5, one new baby for every four adults. The proportion of elderly is growing rapidly while the size of the workforce declines making it increasingly difficult for China to care for its elderly. This is not good for economic growth. About 30% of China's GDP depends on construction but with something on the order of 40 million newly built homes sitting unoccupied due to a wild building spree, the demand for even more new homes has gone off a cliff. The builders and / or the lenders who financed the building spree are going to go under in the next few years due to the inability to service their debt and lack of demand. China is not going to grow at the rate it has in the past and as its population declines so will its economy. Losing the income of the construction industry is going to hurt.

Add to this the fact that the big glaciers that feed some of China's most important rivers are rapidly melting and predicted to be gone in a decade, and sea level rise that will swamp many of China's big low lying coastal cities like Shanghai. In 20 years China won't have the economic might it has today, and that has implications for its ability to project power abroad or influence other nations.