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Growing military tensions around Taiwan along with economic and technological rivalry between China and the United States threaten peace and stability in East Asia as the regional balance of power shifts in Beijing’s favor, said Japan in its annual defense white paper.
“It is necessary that we pay close attention to the situation more than ever with a sense of crisis,” the newspaper said in a new section on Taiwan. “In particular, the competition in technological fields is likely to become even more intense,” he said of the US-China struggle.
The defense review, which was approved by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government on Tuesday, identifies China as Japan’s top national security concern. The recent increase in Beijing’s military activity around Taiwan worries Tokyo since the island is located near the Okinawa range at the western end of the Japanese archipelago.
Chinese President Xi Jinping this month pledged to complete “reunification” with Taiwan and in June criticized the United States as a “risk creator” after sending a warship through the separating Taiwan Strait. mainland island.
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Japan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Taro Aso said this month in a speech reported by Japanese media that Japan should join forces with the United States to defend Taiwan against any invasion. Aso later said that any eventuality regarding Taiwan should be resolved through dialogue when asked about the remarks, which drew a rebuke from Beijing.
As the military rivalry between the United States and China intensifies, their economic competition is fueling a race to take the lead in key technologies, such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
The emergence of rival tech camps poses a challenge for Japan, as its economy relies as much on trade ties with China as it does with the United States. Japan will also have to spend a lot to keep up with government funding for technological development in the United States, China and Europe.
Lawmakers in the U.S. Senate recently passed the Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, which allows $ 190 billion in technology spending, including $ 54 billion to increase chip production. House of Representatives lawmakers are debating a separate proposal that also promises generous funding, the Ensuring American Global Leadership and Engagement Act, or EAGLE Act.
The annual security review in Japan also includes for the first time a section on threats posed by climate change, which it says will increase competition for land and resources, and could trigger massive movements of climate refugees. . An increase in global warming-related disasters could also stretch military capabilities, he adds, while melting Arctic Sea ice could lead to the militarization of northern waters.
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