KNews.id- The United States aka the US is indeed making efforts to fight China. China’s Nine Dash Line claim, for example, is the reason the US has to stem the Bamboo Curtain country in the Indo Pacific.
With the slogan Free And Open Indo Pacific, the US invites Pacific countries, including Indonesia, to reject China’s Nine Dash Line claim. So far, what the US is trying to do seems to be working.Countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam and Japan strongly oppose China. Then to strengthen its position, the US formed the AUKUS coalition with Australia and the UK. AUKUS’ goal is simple, stop China in the Indo Pacific as soon as possible.
The formation of AUKUS reminded the public of The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command in 1942. At that time ABDA was formed to defend the Dutch East Indies from attacks by the Imperial Japanese army.
But ABDA lost against Japan where the battle of the Java Sea became the turning point for Japan’s control of the Dutch East Indies. Well, AUKUS is almost like ABDA, only the scope of its operations is in Indo Pacific waters.
What is defended here is not territory, but the hegemony of the US and its allies.The difference is that AUKUS is more solid than ABDA because currently almost 70 percent of the US Navy’s strength is based in the Indo Pacific.
Meanwhile on the Chinese side, Beijing is practically alone in facing AUKUS.Meanwhile, Indonesia is currently at a fork in the road. Want to lean towards AUKUS or China and it can be Non-Aligned. Once, KASAL Australia (Australian Chief of Navy) Vice Admiral Michael Noonan visited Indonesia on 11 January.
Noonan visited Bakamla RI to emphasize that his country’s nuclear submarine was not a threat to Indonesia and the balance of the region.
“We are committed to continuing to promote a peaceful and secure region with ASEAN as its center.Although this submarine will be nuclear powered, it will not carry nuclear weapons,” said Vice Admiral Michael Noonan, quoted from bakamla.go.id.
But China sees the AUKUS nuclear submarine as a threat. But the bad thing is that China is carrying the name of Indonesia where the Rafale was bought by Jakarta to fight AUKUS.
“When Britain and the United States and other countries decided to help Australia build nuclear submarines last year, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs once said that the behavior of the United States, Britain, Australia and other countries caused the regional arms race to continue, which is very worrying,” said media from China 163.com, Thursday, February 17.
For China, it is impossible for Indonesia to support AUKUS against itself. At least Indonesia will be neutral in the China Vs AUKUS situation.
“Many observers think this aggressive purchase of French fighter jets may be aimed at Australia.From the foregoing, it is not difficult to see that Indonesia’s purchase of French Rafale fighter planes is most likely a response to Australia’s joining the Anglo-American group, as Indonesia has personally sensed the potential threat of building nuclear submarines on the basis of maintaining a relative friendship. with China,” he explained. Australia through the Lowy Institute rejected the notion of 163.com.
The director of research at Australia’s Lowy Institute, Herve Lemahieu, said the Asian balance would be disrupted by China’s military presence.
“It’s more dependent on America’s capacity and will to maintain the balance of military power in Asia than on China’s rise,” he said, quoted from the Lowy Institute, December 20, 2021.
Australia is currently even more closely related to Indonesia. Moreover, Canberra has invested heavily in Indonesia. So it would be very stupid to take a hostile attitude towards Indonesia. Even Herve hopes that Indonesia will not clash with China because its military has not been able to compete with the Dragon.
“We invest more in New Zealand than many other Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia.It should be noted, however, that Indonesia, like all of its neighbors in Southeast Asia, does not have the necessary military strength to confront China,” he explained. According to him, Indonesia must also spread its wings by cooperating with Japan.
Japan, which is China’s natural enemy, is certainly more prepared to face Beijing than Indonesia.
“Japan is a ‘smart power’ with significant diplomatic, economic and cultural clout with limited resources,” he explained.
The Lowy Institute’s own analysis is supported by the opinion of the US RAND Corporation, a think tank founded by the Douglas Aircraft Company to assist the United States Armed Forces in research and analysis.
RAND Corporation confirmed that China is a big threat to Indonesia. China is ready to conduct a military confrontation against Indo-Pacific countries including Indonesia to enforce its Nine Dash Line claim.
“Indonesia sees China as its only realistic short-term military adversary, with particular potential for military confrontation over islands and reefs near the South China Sea,” explained the RAND Corporation.
Is this US opinion true? because if China takes the step of armed confrontation in the future then Indonesia must prepare itself right now. (AHM/pikran rakyt)
