The risk of war with China is higher than ever today, as the United States withdrew the Typhon missiles from Japan. The Pentagon should not have proceeded with this move, argues the Gatestone Institute, and, what is worse, it chose the worst possible time. The withdrawal took place in the middle of a confrontation chosen by China with Japan, resulting in Chinese propaganda promoting the narrative that Washington is abandoning Tokyo.
On November 17, the Japanese Ministry of Defense informed the local government of Iwakuni City that the Pentagon had withdrawn the Typhon missile unit from the US Air Force base. The unit had been deployed in September for the Japan-U.S. "Resolute Dragon 2025" exercise, and it was the first time the US installed a medium-range missile in Japan. China had vehemently protested the deployment, arguing that the missile system "seriously threatens regional security."
What the Typhon system is
The Typhon system, mounted on trucks, launches Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles and significantly complicates the plans of the Chinese People's Liberation Army in the region. Tomahawk missiles launched from Japan can reach Beijing and Shanghai in Eastern China, all of North Korea, and the Vladivostok and Khabarovsk regions in Eastern Russia. Initially, the US planned to withdraw the Typhon unit within a week of the exercise's end, on September 25, but the missiles remained at the base at least until November 10.
China's "response" is immediate
The Chinese reaction was rapid and extreme. On November 8, Xue Jian, China's Consul General in Osaka, posted on X that "the dirty head that interferes must be cut off," which was widely interpreted as a threat against the life of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Takaichi has caused concern for the Chinese leadership, as unlike most of her predecessors, she has not backed down under Chinese pressure and continues to stand by her comments, showing the world what resistance means and encouraging others to stand up to Chinese power.
Takaichi's statement came in response to an opposition lawmaker's question in the Diet on November 7, regarding the possibility of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, which she characterized as a "situation threatening survival," referring to Japan's 2015 security law and implying that the country could mobilize its Self-Defense Forces. China, escalating the confrontation, is banning its citizens from traveling to Japan, prohibiting imports of Japanese seafood, and threatening other forms of economic sanctions, such as a ban on rare earth exports.
The reaction is unprecedented
According to James Fanell, a fellow at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, Beijing's reaction is unprecedented in its violence and aggression. Fanell notes that Takaichi is showing Xi Jinping that instead of isolating Taiwan, he will face a coalition of free societies, which displeases him. Furthermore, there is a serious risk that Xi will exploit the situation to exert physical control over Japanese islands, such as the Senkakus in the East China Sea. On November 16, for example, Beijing sent a Coast Guard formation to the Senkakus on a "rights enforcement patrol," with the likely next step being an actual landing on these islands.
Xi's objective
The escalation of the Chinese strategy shows that Xi is seeking confrontation, while Takaichi's unpredictable statement created an opportunity. Xi is under pressure at the highest level of the Communist Party and likely believes he needs an external enemy to distract attention, as he is being blamed for the weakening economy and political mistakes. However, it is not popular discontent that is driving him towards conflict—Chinese citizens do not want war—but the need to prevent challenges from other top Party leaders.
Today, with the risk of war with China at its highest point, the withdrawal of a significant weapons system from Japan constitutes the absolutely wrong moment for the US, unduly reinforcing Chinese propaganda narratives and endangering stability in the region.
www.bankingnews.gr
Σχόλια αναγνωστών