The U.S. and Japan's recent meeting highlighted their concern over China's potential military action in the Asia Pacific region, leading to the U.S. helping Japan bolster its military and change its pacifist stance since World War II.
China's military-civil fusion strategy involves purchasing sophisticated chips for commercial purposes and putting them into military equipment to advance their military. Meanwhile, the Biden administration supports Japan's military revitalization and the US military will have greater access to military bases in the Philippines, which includes sites close to Taiwan.
In an attempt to prevent war, the Japanese Prime Minister proposed an agreement with Roosevelt, which eventually led to the Atlantic Charter. However, the high-minded western democratic ideals outlined in the charter seemed directed squarely at Japan, leading to questions of hypocrisy by other Asian countries.
The US needs to make it illegal for tech companies to work with the Chinese military and for American leaders to pass legislation to ban cooperation with Chinese military entities. Additionally, Americans can make a difference by refusing to invest in Chinese companies and buying products made in China, which help them in their competition with the US as the biggest tech firms in China also work on military projects.
The speaker highlights that authoritarians often think in their own interests above the interests of their people and other countries, and how it is important to defend free countries from despots. Additionally, the speaker notes that China is benefiting from economic sanctions on Russia as they buy their resources at a discount.
After Japan's war with China, three European nations - France, Germany, and Russia - altered the peace treaty and forced China to pay Japan more money than the original deal called for, leaving Japan in an unfavorable position.