China Is About to Lose Another Ally: Kim Jong-un Helps US Against China

Kim Jong-un has helped the U.S. build a missile defense system directed against China and Russia. At the very least, the U.S. is actively using North Korea’s mid-April rocket launch and its nuclear plans as an excuse to build a missile defense system in Asia. Japan has already deployed the necessary components for such a system and is beginning to make preparations for initial testing. At the moment, these actions all seem to be in response to North Korea’s plans to launch a satellite-carrying ballistic rocket.

For this reason, the U.S. has deployed seven surface-to-air Patriot missiles and has already put them into service. Four have been deployed on the Southern islands of Okinawa, Miyakojima, and Ishigaki. The other three have been sent to Tokyo. Additionally, one U.S. destroyer and three Japanese destroyers have been sent to the Yellow Sea to track the satellite. All of these operations make use of the latest offshore component of the missile defense system: the Aegis Combat System. The U.S. missile defense system is like one giant pair of claws. The American military plans to deploy rockets and radar systems to Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The system’s Eastern arrangement relies on the U.S. military bases in Japan. Nominally, the purpose of the missile defense system is to guard against rocket and nuclear threats from Iran. But this is obviously just a pretext. Iran has neither ballistic missiles nor nuclear weapons. The only potential target American missiles might intercept are rockets launched by China and Russia.

A member of the U.S. Department of Defense has stated that the construction of the “Asian claws” has already been confirmed. The front line of the missile defense system will be built in Japan, South Korea, and Australia. The official announcement for the construction of the Asian missile defense system could not be more appropriate; on the eve of North Korea’s launching of its satellite-carrying rocket. This has served as a perfect pretext for the U.S. to build its Asian claws just outside China’s borders.

China has already made several statements claiming that the expanding U.S. military presence runs counter to the security pursuits of the Asian region. China remains unconvinced in America’s claim that the missile defense system will only be used in protecting Japan from a North Korean missile attack. For the time being, China’s response has been quite restrained.

One Russian military analyst stated, “China will not take drastic measures. However, China’s military political leaders will draw the necessary conclusions. This does not mean that China will be committed to developing strategic nuclear forces because China has already obtained excellent flexibility in its strategic nuclear forces. This is China’s response to the asymmetry of the American and Japanese missile defense components popping up around China’s borders.”

Analysts do not rule out the possibility that China may use traditional means to pressure the U.S. China is the biggest holder of U.S. debt and U.S. dollars and therefore has the ability to affect America’s economy. Moreover, China can call on the help of its allies — Venezuela, Iran, and Pakistan — to create geopolitical problems for the U.S. across the globe.