The Global Times, which is said to be a news arm of the Chinese Communist Party, issued an editorial stating that Tokyo should pursue peace and not ramp up its war talk against China. 

“This will mark a major adjustment of the US-Japan alliance over the past 70 years since WWII. Japan is no longer willing to act just as a ‘solid shield’ but now wants to play the role of a ‘sharp spear,’ and the US has given strong support for this,” the paper said.

The editorial continued, “Japan’s strategic impulse and Washington’s selfish strategy toward China are birds of a feather, posing unprecedented risks to the Asia-Pacific region and the international community after WWII.”

AntiWar.com reported that the U.S. is also repositioning its forces with less attention on the Middle East and more focus on Asia.  

U.S. officials said the new Marine littoral regiment in Okinawa will be stationed on the island by 2025 and work closely with their Japanese counterparts. They will advance intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, anti-ship, and transportation capabilities, Defense News reported.

The report noted that there are roughly 18,000 Marines in Japan and while Tokyo supports their presence, these forces are unpopular with Okinawans.

U.S. Looks to Micronesia in Effort to Surround China 

The president of the Federation States of Micronesia announced that his administration was nearing an economic deal with the U.S. tied to Washington’s use of the country for military purposes. 

David Panuelo, the president, said the deal with the U.S. is an economic windfall. Under the agreement, the U.S. will provide the country with $140 million, which is a $50 million increase in spending from current levels, AntiWar.com reported.

In turn, the U.S. will increase military drills near the country comprising over 600 islands in the Western Pacific Ocean. The exercises will increase over the next few years, and Panuelo said the ultimate goal is to bolster its own national security, “of which the U.S. is our indisputable guardian.”

He said it is important to get the word out because he wants the citizens to know about these drills so they do not get alarmed by them.

China is seen to have an expanding reach in the region, and the U.S. has noted that Palau, the main part of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands both recognize Taiwan and have been under increasing pressure from China. 

TRENDPOST: In July, we reported how the U.S. is looking to small islands as a key feature to keep China at bay. The U.S. admitted at the time that it has not paid enough attention to Oceania countries in the past decade, and is now looking to buy some new friends in hopes to counter China, which has been making inroads in the region.

Washington announced that it plans to open two new embassies there, one in Tonga and the other in Kiribati, to show its renewed commitment.

Yet there is never a mention in the media or from the political establishment, what is the United States doing in a place that virtually no American can find on a map?

Why, because 62 years ago today, in his 196I farewell address, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the American people that the Military Industrial Complex was robbing the nation of the genius of its scientists, sweat of the laborers, and future of the children… and here we are, a nation in financial, moral and spiritual decline, just as he predicted.