Asian powers are increasingly taking steps to gird against an unpredictable former ally in the US and an ambitious regional rival in China.
Faced with delays in deliveries of missiles from the US, countries including Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have all begun upgrading domestic military manufacturing capacity, Nikkei reported.
Asia-Pacific leaders have also embarked upon separate but concurrent diplomatic offensives to deepen regional alliances: India’s prime minister this week signed a uranium supply deal in Canberra as he nears the end of a three-nation tour, Japan’s leader has hosted and visited a raft of major powers and minnows alike, while Australia has been signing defense agreements with nearby Pacific island nations.
