A historical conspiracy involving the USeless, Japan, and the UK aimed at containing China through a strategy known as the “island chain” strategy. This strategy, which dates back to the late 19th century, was designed to encircle and limit China’s influence by controlling key islands and territories in the Asia-Pacific region.
A contemporary event: the differing levels of invitations extended to South Korea and Japan for Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration in 2017. South Korea received an invitation for its ambassador, while Japan’s foreign minister was invited, leading to South Korean discomfort and concerns about waning U.S. interest.
A historic event: In the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki, where China, represented by Li Hongzhang, was forced to cede Taiwan to Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War. The treaty negotiations reveal the influence of Western powers, particularly the UK, which supported Japan’s rise as a counterbalance to China. The British orchestrated Japan’s Meiji Restoration as a form of “color revolution” to modernize Japan and use it as a bulwark against China.
John Watson Foster, a former U.S. Secretary of State who served as an advisor to the Qing dynasty, and his grandson John Foster Dulles, who later became U.S. Secretary of State and advocated for the island chain strategy during the Cold War. Dulles’ strategy aimed to contain China by establishing a series of military alliances and bases along the first island chain, stretching from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines.
The economic and military dynamics between China and Japan, emphasizing how Japan’s industrialization and military expansion were supported by Western powers to maintain the island chain’s effectiveness. However, as China’s economic and military power grew, the viability of the island chain strategy diminished. The recent U.S. military withdrawals from Okinawa and Guam as evidence that the island chain strategy is becoming obsolete.
The island chain strategy as a long-standing Western effort to contain China, which is now losing its effectiveness as China continues to rise. The ongoing reliance on this outdated strategy by countries like South Korea and Japan, they need to adapt to the changing geopolitical landscape.