East Asia: Washington wants to deploy missiles against China

Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines are expected to host the defence systems. Spending on US Commando in the Indo-Pacific will reach 27.4 billion dollars. Admiral Davidson: The Chinese could try to retake Taiwan within 6 years. Regional nations unlikely to accept US proposal.

Washington (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The United States wants to build a precision missile system in East Asia to counter the advance of China.

Nikkei Asia reported that it had seen a proposal to that effect that was presented to Congress as part of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, a $ 27.4 billion project commissioned by the US Commando in the Indo-Pacific.

The Biden administration’s intent is to deploy conventional missile batteries (therefore without nuclear warheads) along the "first island chain", the line that ideally connects southern Japan with the island of Papua, and which also includes Taiwan and Philippines.

It should be remembered that China's strategic goal is to keep US military forces out of the South China Sea and the East China Sea, where Beijing has extensive territorial claims disputed by Japan, Taiwan and a number of Southeast Asian countries.

Washington aims to strengthen its missile deterrent in the Western Pacific because the massive deployment of Chinese missiles (nicknamed "aircraft carrier killers") threatens the naval and air operations of the US military units.

Speaking yesterday at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, Admiral Philip Davidson justified the missile plan with the need to counter China's expansionist ambitions. According to Davidson, head of the Indo-Pacific Commando, within the next 6 years the Chinese could acquire the military capabilities to try to "change the status quo" in the region, especially by trying to regain Taiwan, which Beijing considers a "rebel province”.

For several observers, Washington will have trouble carrying out the missile deployment. Japan and Taiwan may be open to the idea, but they would face probable Chinese retaliation (at least economic-commercial). It is also difficult to think that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will agree to host US missiles in his country.