COLD WAR II: What China’s Defence Paper Tells Us About Beijing’s Regional Ambition.

For all the professed good intention, the white paper’s unilateral declaration that Asia-Pacific countries are “increasingly aware that they are members of a community with shared destiny” is problematic. For all the frequent use of the phrase, China hasn’t ever explained just what is meant, and nor has any Asian country endorsed it. This hints at a deeper contradiction. The paper describes the security condition in the region as generally stable, yet nonetheless points to “major country competition” as fostering uncertainties in regional security.

To be fair, Beijing sounds much nicer when they say “community with shared destiny” instead of “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.”