US-Japan-Australia-Philippines defence pact vs China? Ex-official urges alliance

But analysts warn that the proposal could inflame regional tensions and would face complex political and diplomatic challenges.

“The time has come for the United States to build a collective defence pact in Asia,” he wrote. “For decades, such a pact was neither possible nor necessary. Today, in the face of a growing threat from China, it is both viable and essential.”

“If it succeeds,” he wrote, “the result would be a China-led order that relegates the United States to the rank of a diminished continental power: less prosperous, less secure, and unable to fully access or lead the world’s most important markets and technologies.”