Military and Political Aspects of Balance of Power in East Asia: Japan, Republic of Korea and ASEAN Capacity

Rising U.S.-Chinese tensions affect all East Asian nations in almost every sphere. This kind of a tangible influence originates in decrease of predictability of the major actors behavior and their respective efforts in enhancing military security. As a matter of fact, regional environment is suffering from mutual distrust and cyclic assertive reaction of the players. J. Biden’s statement that “America is back at the table†affirms Washington’s intentions to develop its ally and partner ties with the East Asian nations. The most obvious reasons are opposing China’s rise and suppressing DPRK. However, not all regional states are ready to make such a strategic choice and support the United States completely, demonstrating binding commitments. Some nations accent on obtaining efficiency in defense, while others prefer to maintain an equal distance from either Washington or Beijing, and maintain a reliable dialogue with both of them. Mostly East Asian nations refrain from spoiling relationship with now-mighty China but it seems more and more complicated to justify rocketing of their respective defense budgets and strive for gaining an extra military capacity. This factor seriously destabilizes regional security complex of the East Asia, where Russia is also a potent actor so far.