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“Instead of doing some self-reflection and using their power to contribute to regional peace, they target China as an excuse to strengthen military behaviour. What is their intention?
“This so-called joint drill has no impact at all on China, it only costs them fuel. I hope they will use the time and resources for their own countries, and contribute more to the fighting the coronavirus pandemic in their respective countries and the world,” she said.
The exercise is a first for France in Japan but comes amid a flurry of military activity involving the US and its allies in the region, including in the
and , where Beijing has overlapping territorial claims with several of its neighbours.
Japanese and American ships take part in a maritime exercise in February. Photo: US Pacific Fleet
Tokyo has boosted its military alliance with Washington in recent months as its spat with Beijing over rights to the
in the East China Sea has escalated.
Two French naval vessels – the helicopter carrier Tonnerre and the frigate Surcouf – are taking part in the drills, which also involve troops from Japan’s Ground Self-Defence Force and US Marines, according to Japan’s Ministry of Defence. A single Australian vessel is also taking part.
Liu Zongyi, an associate research fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said he believed France would increase its military alignment with the US in the region.
In its “Strategic Update 2021”, the French defence ministry said last month it had witnessed a “resumption of strategic and military competition by both China and Russia”, and described the Indo-Pacific as a “theatre of profound strategic changes” in which France “must imperatively maintain a geostrategic reach in line with current developments and its ambitions”.
“However, I see much of France’s latest involvement being out of wanting to assert its role as a relevant geopolitical power in the region when there are so many military happenings, and a way to enhance its position in the Western world,” Liu said.
“As of now, the French involvement has not been in anything that gets it involved in territorial disputes in the Diaoyus or the South China Sea. Therefore it would not be too concerning [for China].”
In April, France led a naval exercise with “
” members – the US, Japan, Australia and India – which led to suggestions the group – which Beijing has described as a security risk and an “Indo-Pacific Nato” – might be expanding.
Beijing-based military analyst Zhou Chenming, however, said he did not expect France’s involvement in regional drills to become a regular thing.
“I do not see it as a military provocation, it is more of a kind of political pressure and showdown, which does not solve any real problem but complicates the geopolitical situation” he said.
“It is just one of those exercises that the US and Japan want to show off the support of their allies.”
Additional reporting by Catherine Wong
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