In recent years, there has been a growing arms race between China and its neighboring countries, particularly in Asia. With increasing tensions in the region and China’s growing military power, countries like India, Japan, and South Korea have been ramping up their defense capabilities as a means of deterring potential aggression from the Chinese. In this article, we take a closer look at this arms race and what it means for the region as a whole.
The recent military drill at Tinian’s civilian airport, where US airmen refuelled Japanese fighter jets, exemplifies the anxious, well-armed moment in Asia and the Pacific. The region’s countries are compelled to protect themselves against China’s military buildup and territorial claims and Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Consequently, they are bolstering defence budgets, joint training, weapons manufacturing and combat-ready infrastructure. Asia’s rise made it an economic engine for the world, tying China and other regional manufacturing hubs to Europe and America. However, now, the focus is on hard power, with China and the US locked in a volatile strategic contest and diplomatic ties at their worst in half a century.
China’s leader, Xi Jinping, aims to achieve a “national rejuvenation” that includes his country’s displacement of the US as the dominant rule-setter in the region, taking control over access to the South China Sea, and bringing Taiwan under Beijing’s control. This has prompted many of China’s neighbours to accelerate their arms race, making it the most significant arms race in Asia since WWII. For instance, North Korea launched cruise missiles from a submarine for the first time in March, and Australia unveiled a $200 billion plan to build nuclear-propelled submarines. Japan is gaining offensive capabilities with US Tomahawk missiles, while India has conducted military training with Japan and Vietnam. India and Japan have also signed several deals demonstrating the region’s interlocking defence plans.
Moreover, Malaysia is buying South Korean combat aircraft, while US officials are trying to amass a giant weapons stockpile in Taiwan to head off a Chinese invasion. The Philippines is also planning for expanded runways and ports to host its largest US military presence in decades. However, none of these efforts may be enough to match China’s surging military arsenal, which now includes “monster” coast guard cutters, missiles and nuclear warheads.
Furthermore, over the years, China’s military has engaged in provocative or dangerous behaviour, such as deploying a record number of military aircraft to threaten Taiwan and firing missiles into the waters of Japan’s exclusive economic zone for the first time. It has also sent soldiers to dislodge an Indian army outpost, escalating tensions. All these activities point to an ill-tempered global order shaped by one-man rule in a more militarised China, bolder aggression from Russia and North Korea, and demands for greater influence from the still-developing giants of Indonesia and India.
Military spending in Asia and the Pacific has grown from 17.5% of worldwide defence expenditures in 2000 to 27.7% in 2021 (with North Korea excluded). Additionally, SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reports that military spending in the region has shot up in recent years, with China driving most of it. China now spends about $300 billion annually on its military, compared to $22 billion in 2000 when adjusted for inflation, making it the world’s second-biggest military spender after the US, which has an $800 billion defence budget.
In conclusion, the rise of military spending in Asia and the Pacific is a response to the region’s countries’ concerns over China’s military buildup and territorial claims and Russia’s experiences in Ukraine. The countries are vigorously improving their defence budgets, joint training, weapons manufacturing, and combat-ready infrastructure to defend themselves. China’s military behaviour and strategies, coupled with the demands for greater influence from developing giants such as Indonesia and India, signal an ill-tempered global order, shape by rising military power.
