Martian2
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There are fundamental reasons that true cooperation between the US, Australia, India, and Japan is impossible.
The US wants permanent military bases in India and Australia to militarily pressure China.
Australia
Australia refuses to permit a US permanent military base, because China will be forced to neutralize those American bases in Australia. This means a permanent US base in Australia will give China a reasonable excuse to invade Australia.
China will say that it cannot defeat the US without conquering the permanent American bases in Australia. If China wins an Asian war against the US, it will have to conquer Australia. If China does win, I doubt China will leave Australia.
Hence, Australia is not dumb enough to ever permit an American permanent military base in Australia. The world is watching and China has no pretext to conquer Australia.
India
Similarly, India is in the exact same position as Australia. India knows China will want its South Tibet back in the future, but the territory is small in size and pretty irrelevant.
However, a permanent US base in India will invite a Chinese invasion of all of India.
South China Sea
Australia and India will not place their future existence in the hands of the United States over a South China Sea war.
The US is weighing the risks of fighting China militarily in the South China Sea. The cost is China retaking Outer Mongolia (which is the size of four Californias) and building up Outer Mongolia into a thermonuclear missile base.
Outer Mongolia
Let's say the US ignores the cost of Outer Mongolia and decides to fight China anyway in the South China Sea. China will be forced to invade Australia or India to defeat the permanent American military bases there. If China succeeds, it will not go home and will probably annex the territory on the grounds of national security.
Israeli Annexations
China's action will be similar to Israel's. The Arabs attacked Israel in the 1967 war. Israel won and annexed Syrian (Golan Heights), Egyptian (Sinai), and Jordanian (West Bank) territories. Australia and India do not want to be in the position of having their territories annexed.
Hence, the Quadrilateral coalition will never be a true alliance. The cost is staggering. Australia and India do not want to put their land at risk. A US war over the South China Sea will force China to solve the problem of Australia or India.
China can keep trying until it succeeds.
China has one hundred years to succeed in conquering Australia or India. China can launch invasion after invasion every decade after upgrading its military. Sooner or later, China will succeed.
Losing your country is the cost of joining a true Quadrilateral Coalition.
Australia and India are smart enough to never give China a good reason to invade their countries in the claim of Chinese self-defense. Thus, there will never be a real Quadrilateral Alliance against China. The price is losing your country.
ASEAN
There has never been an Asian version of NATO. The ten Southeast Asian nations have shown no interest in joining a formal alliance. The crux of the problem is whether you can defeat China's army. Many of the Southeast Asian nations are linked to China by land, such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Singapore.
If China views an Asian NATO as a threat, it might decide to annex those territories to permanently remove the threat. Israel annexed its Arab neighbors' lands to safeguard its national security.
China has unlimited natural resources (with the world's second largest landmass). It has 1.4 billion people. It also has state-of-the-art weaponry in stealth fighters and advanced missiles.
What are the chances that you can defeat China in a land war? If the answer is "pretty slim" then the safest course of action is to not threaten China with a formal alliance. The cost is the loss of a significant portion of your land (which is what Israel took). It is possible that China may decide to annex entire countries and not just a portion.
Counter-Intuitive Survival Strategy
It sounds unusual, but the best survival strategy against China is to be as less threatening as possible. Normally, a military alliance protects the members of the alliance. Against a military superpower like China, a threatening formal military alliance is a terrible idea.
For example, the US can annex Canada or Mexico whenever it wants. The US does not do so, because Canada and Mexico are not viewed as threats.
Similarly, the countries near China's border are safe because China does not view them as threats. If those countries are dumb enough to sign a formal military alliance and threaten China then the Chinese government may decide to neutralize the military threat. The long-term solution is annexing the lands of threatening countries.
Hence, we have not seen an Asian version of NATO in the last 50 years. Seriously challenging China will provoke a strong Chinese military response and the consequences can be unpleasant.
Japan
The United States has never allowed the sale of land-attack Tomahawks to Japan. Japanese Kongo-class destroyers (which are downgraded Japanese versions of US Arleigh Burkes) are not armed with Tomahawks. The US will not allow Japan to fire a Tomahawk into Chinese territory. An attack on China may elicit a Chinese invasion of Japan. Thus, the US does not sell Tomahawk cruise missiles to Japan.
Attacking or "threatening to attack China" is the worst possible military strategy against a military superpower. China ignores its neighbors, because they are not threatening. Attacking China with a Tomahawk cruise missile or forming a military alliance is a different story. Hence, you see the US claims of selling DEFENSIVE weaponry to Asian countries.
South Korea
When the US installed THAAD missiles in South Korea, the US publicly claimed it was only for defensive purposes. The US is very careful to consistently declare that its arm sales to Asian countries are only for defensive purposes. The US is trying to avoid a scenario where China claims the arms sales are OFFENSIVE and the Chinese military decides to preemptively remove the offensive threat.
By claiming the US arms sales to Asia are DEFENSIVE only, the US prevents a Chinese invasion of the Asian arms-buying country.
The US wants permanent military bases in India and Australia to militarily pressure China.
Australia
Australia refuses to permit a US permanent military base, because China will be forced to neutralize those American bases in Australia. This means a permanent US base in Australia will give China a reasonable excuse to invade Australia.
China will say that it cannot defeat the US without conquering the permanent American bases in Australia. If China wins an Asian war against the US, it will have to conquer Australia. If China does win, I doubt China will leave Australia.
Hence, Australia is not dumb enough to ever permit an American permanent military base in Australia. The world is watching and China has no pretext to conquer Australia.
India
Similarly, India is in the exact same position as Australia. India knows China will want its South Tibet back in the future, but the territory is small in size and pretty irrelevant.
However, a permanent US base in India will invite a Chinese invasion of all of India.
South China Sea
Australia and India will not place their future existence in the hands of the United States over a South China Sea war.
The US is weighing the risks of fighting China militarily in the South China Sea. The cost is China retaking Outer Mongolia (which is the size of four Californias) and building up Outer Mongolia into a thermonuclear missile base.
Outer Mongolia
Let's say the US ignores the cost of Outer Mongolia and decides to fight China anyway in the South China Sea. China will be forced to invade Australia or India to defeat the permanent American military bases there. If China succeeds, it will not go home and will probably annex the territory on the grounds of national security.
Israeli Annexations
China's action will be similar to Israel's. The Arabs attacked Israel in the 1967 war. Israel won and annexed Syrian (Golan Heights), Egyptian (Sinai), and Jordanian (West Bank) territories. Australia and India do not want to be in the position of having their territories annexed.
Hence, the Quadrilateral coalition will never be a true alliance. The cost is staggering. Australia and India do not want to put their land at risk. A US war over the South China Sea will force China to solve the problem of Australia or India.
China can keep trying until it succeeds.
China has one hundred years to succeed in conquering Australia or India. China can launch invasion after invasion every decade after upgrading its military. Sooner or later, China will succeed.
Losing your country is the cost of joining a true Quadrilateral Coalition.
Australia and India are smart enough to never give China a good reason to invade their countries in the claim of Chinese self-defense. Thus, there will never be a real Quadrilateral Alliance against China. The price is losing your country.
ASEAN
There has never been an Asian version of NATO. The ten Southeast Asian nations have shown no interest in joining a formal alliance. The crux of the problem is whether you can defeat China's army. Many of the Southeast Asian nations are linked to China by land, such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Singapore.
If China views an Asian NATO as a threat, it might decide to annex those territories to permanently remove the threat. Israel annexed its Arab neighbors' lands to safeguard its national security.
China has unlimited natural resources (with the world's second largest landmass). It has 1.4 billion people. It also has state-of-the-art weaponry in stealth fighters and advanced missiles.
What are the chances that you can defeat China in a land war? If the answer is "pretty slim" then the safest course of action is to not threaten China with a formal alliance. The cost is the loss of a significant portion of your land (which is what Israel took). It is possible that China may decide to annex entire countries and not just a portion.
Counter-Intuitive Survival Strategy
It sounds unusual, but the best survival strategy against China is to be as less threatening as possible. Normally, a military alliance protects the members of the alliance. Against a military superpower like China, a threatening formal military alliance is a terrible idea.
For example, the US can annex Canada or Mexico whenever it wants. The US does not do so, because Canada and Mexico are not viewed as threats.
Similarly, the countries near China's border are safe because China does not view them as threats. If those countries are dumb enough to sign a formal military alliance and threaten China then the Chinese government may decide to neutralize the military threat. The long-term solution is annexing the lands of threatening countries.
Hence, we have not seen an Asian version of NATO in the last 50 years. Seriously challenging China will provoke a strong Chinese military response and the consequences can be unpleasant.
Japan
The United States has never allowed the sale of land-attack Tomahawks to Japan. Japanese Kongo-class destroyers (which are downgraded Japanese versions of US Arleigh Burkes) are not armed with Tomahawks. The US will not allow Japan to fire a Tomahawk into Chinese territory. An attack on China may elicit a Chinese invasion of Japan. Thus, the US does not sell Tomahawk cruise missiles to Japan.
Attacking or "threatening to attack China" is the worst possible military strategy against a military superpower. China ignores its neighbors, because they are not threatening. Attacking China with a Tomahawk cruise missile or forming a military alliance is a different story. Hence, you see the US claims of selling DEFENSIVE weaponry to Asian countries.
South Korea
When the US installed THAAD missiles in South Korea, the US publicly claimed it was only for defensive purposes. The US is very careful to consistently declare that its arm sales to Asian countries are only for defensive purposes. The US is trying to avoid a scenario where China claims the arms sales are OFFENSIVE and the Chinese military decides to preemptively remove the offensive threat.
By claiming the US arms sales to Asia are DEFENSIVE only, the US prevents a Chinese invasion of the Asian arms-buying country.
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