New Delhi: On ‘Talking Point‘, Professor Hideshi Tokuchi President, Research Institute for Peace & Security (RIPS) Tokyo and Japan’s first-ever Vice-Minister of Defence for International Affairs and Lucas Myers, Senior Associate for Southeast Asia at the Wilson Centre’s Asia Programme in Washington, D.C. in conversation with StratNews Global Associate Editor Amitabh P. Revi.
This series of interviews was conducted in association with ORCA at their flagship event, the Global Conference on New Sinology (GCNS). ORCA, based in New Delhi, is a nonpartisan research institute specialising in in-depth analysis of contemporary Chinese affairs. We invite you to explore their website, which offers a wealth of resources, including special issue reports, data dashboards, informative podcasts, engaging infographics, thought-provoking articles, and a daily newsletter.
From a Japanese point of view, Professor Hideshi Tokuchi explains, “the Quad is a very important partnership to engage an autonomous India with the U.S. centered alliance in the Asia-Pacific region.” The former Japanese Vice-Minister of Defence for International Affairs also discusses the evolution of Japan’s Taiwan policy, the threat from nuclear-powered North Korea, China and Russia, the debate on whether Japan should go for the nuclear weapons option despite the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, China deterrence and a Japan’s lack of strategic depth, nuclear armed submarines, and Japan’s aim to increase its defence budget to two percent of its GDP and the policy of counter-strike capability.
Lucas Myers discusses Pax Sinica vs Pax Americana and the hypocricy of both countries in a shifting of global balance of power to multipolarity, and points out that “in many cases, the United States has to adapt the rules based order to incorporate new voices, particularly India’s” and admitting, “this is a challenge for the U.S. to be able to adapt and actually address some of these hypocrisies.” The Senior Associate at the Wilson Centre also discusses the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with reference to Myanmar, how India and the U.S. can work together to counter China, the options Vietnam has in its partnerships with India and the U.S., and how China’s Malacca dilemma can and should be kept alive and kicking.
