Water Wars: Hedging Bets in the South China Sea

Jan 20, 2017 | Chris Mirasola
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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe followed last week’s trip to Manila with a busy schedule of state visits to Canberra, Jakarta, and Hanoi reaffirming Japan’s role in regional politics.

What was the strategic aim of Abe’s tour through the region? The Prime Minister clearly had Washington on his mind. A senior Japanese diplomat said that, “there is a need to deepen bilateral relationships with Asian countries at a time of uncertainty.”