Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - Military chiefs from Japan, the United States, South Korea, the Philippines, and fourteen other countrie...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English -Military chiefs from Japan, the United States, South Korea, the Philippines, and fourteen other countries gathered in Tokyo this week in the hopes of fostering collaboration among states that can help Washington contain China.
The Pacific Amphibious Leaders Symposium (PALS) was founded by the US in Hawaii in 2015 as it began to turn away from a policy of engagement with China and toward one of containing Beijing's influence. Washington's military pivot to Asia, as well as a push for closer connections with like-minded states in the region, were among the measures taken.
In his final remarks, Lieutenant General Steven Rudder, Commander of US Marine Corps Forces Pacific, remarked, "There is no nation that can accomplish it all by itself; everyone has a piece to provide."
The four-day event, which ended on Thursday, was Japan's first, and it comes as the country seeks to expand its regional security role in order to confront China, North Korea, and Russia. Japan has chastised its neighbours for flouting international rules, and since Moscow's war on Ukraine, it has become concerned that Beijing may use force to annex Taiwan.
General Yoshihide Yoshida, Chief of Staff of Japan's Ground Self Defense Force, said alongside Rudder, "PALS 2022 disseminates a forceful message that we do not tolerate unilateral changes to the status quo by force."
China claims that its recent military drills surrounding Taiwan, which it regards to be part of its territory, are aimed at defending the country's sovereignty.
On Saturday, Japanese Minister of Defense Nobuo Kishi spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, describing his country as being on the front lines, surrounded by rule-breaking nuclear-armed actors.
On Thursday, about 70 PALS members visited a navy facility and army camp near Tokyo to observe drills and view military equipment, including hovercraft and troop-carrying Osprey aircraft. In Japan, US Marines demonstrated a High Mobility Rocket System (HIMARS), which is similar to the ones the Pentagon is arming Ukraine with to assist it fight against Russian invading forces that Moscow claims are there on a "special mission."
Military leaders from Southeast Asia, such as Thailand and Indonesia, who disagree with China's territorial claims to most of the key South China, were among the attendees.
Representatives from the United Kingdom and France, which have dispatched naval patrols to Asia in recent years, as well as Pacific island states such as Fiji and the Maldives, were also there.
