Why Japan is worried about the decline in US ties with India
Japanese defence researcher warns that China could capitalise on tensions between partners
The US’ waning interest in regional relations and its weakening ties with India are eroding American-led alliances in Asia, creating openings for China, a prominent Japanese defence researcher has warned.
“[Regional alliances] are one of the biggest sources of impact – Quad and Aukus, especially Quad,” Masuda said on the sidelines of the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Wednesday.
“From a Japanese perspective, the Quad is one of the major diplomatic tools to maintain a balance against China, with [member states] Australia, India, Japan and the United States.
“But because of [US President Donald] Trump losing interest in that framework, and the US-India deteriorating partnership, Trump decided not to attend the Quad summit, which is to be held in New Delhi. That would be a concern that might be potentially dangerous from the Japanese perspective.”
The Quad – short for Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – was first proposed by late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2007. But it only began to gain momentum under the administration of former US president Joe Biden as part of his Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China’s influence.