Anti-China sentiments are rising in several Southeast Asian countries (AP)
MELBOURNE: The coronavirus pandemic has undermined China’s power in the Indo-Pacific, and the region’s security uncertainties present a “significant” risk of war, the Lowy Institute said in a report on Sunday.
The Sydney-based foreign policy think tank said US allies in the region and major balancing powers such as India have never been more dependent on US capacity and willingness to maintain military and strategic retaliation in response to China’s rise.
At the same time, Beijing has upgraded its military exchanges with Russia and Pakistan, as well as North Korea, seeking to prevent Southeast Asian countries from joining the US alliance and calling for China-aligned nuclear-armed powers. Built as such a formidable trio. Area.
“Whether the emerging balance of military power contributes to deterrence and strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific remains an open question,” the report said.
“The depth of hostilities, the breadth of US-China competition and the presence of many potential flashpoints mean that the risk of war is significant.”
The effects of the pandemic have undermined the prosperity of the entire region, undermining China’s wider power.
“Beijing is now less likely to overtake its rival rival in sweeping power by the end of the decade – this suggests that nothing is inevitable about China’s rise to the world,” the report said. “It appears that China will never be as dominant as the United States once was.”
The think tank said Australia, whose ties with China have deteriorated in recent years, has weathered China’s growing power better than most US partners – but is becoming more dependent on Washington.
In 2018, Australia banned Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co from its 5G telecommunications network. Relations soured last year when Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, triggering a series of trade reprisals from China.
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