Latest in Asia-Pacific
The United States has tried to shift its foreign policy focus from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific for two decades. Will Biden finally succeed?
Editor's Note: Official estimates and popular discourse portray China as an emerging colussus whose ever-expanding economy will make it the dominant power in Asia and a peer competitor to the United States. John Lee, of the Hudson Institute and Australian National University, paints a far darker picture -- at least for China. Lee identifies a range of grave economic problems that China faces and contends that its resulting future military power is likely to be far more limited than is usually estimated.
***
It has been apparent for several years that the navies in the Asia-Pacific are on the greatest submarine development and acquisition spree since before World War II. Most states that operate submarines plan to expand their force, including Japan from 16 to 22 boats; Australia from 8 to 12, and China, from about 60 now to more than 70 by 2020.