'More destructive than US': China hits out at Japan's military role in South China Sea
A Chinese maritime analyst has criticized Japan's increasing military presence in the South China Sea, suggesting it could be more destabilizing than U.S. involvement. The remarks follow ongoing regional tensions regarding maritime claims and the 2016 Hague tribunal ruling.
Why it matters
It underscores the escalating geopolitical friction in the Indo-Pacific region and the shifting military alliances involving Japan, China, and the Philippines.
A prominent Chinese maritime analyst has warned that Japan's expanding military role in the South China Sea could become more destabilising than that of the United States, as regional tensions continue to rise following the 10th anniversary of the landmark 2016 arbitration ruling that rejected Beijing's sweeping maritime claims.Speaking at a security round table in Hong Kong on Monday, Wu Shicun, founding president of China's National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said military deployments, joint exercises and maritime patrols by countries outside the region had increased sharply, making what he described as "unilateral infringements" increasingly normalised.Wu's remarks came a day after Beijing rejected renewed international backing for the Hague tribunal's ruling, which China continues to dismiss as "null and void".Japan's growing military roleJapan's participation in this year's Balikatan military exercises with the United States and the Philippines featured prominently in Wu's criticism.He pointed to Tokyo's deployment of more than…
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