However China polarises opinion, both within the area and inside the US where two conflicting views underpin US strategic dialogue on China. These could be broadly summarised as viewing China as both the great threat of the longer term or the good prize of the longer term. NATO’s Asia-Pacific associate countries—Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea—are simply among the Alliance’s most undervalued assets. All 4 are established democracies that share NATO’s values and have contributed to NATO initiatives. Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Australia are also US treaty partners and boast a number of the world’s most subtle militaries—outmatching those of the overwhelming majority of NATO allies—according to international army rankings. Although NATO and these partners have developed their relations over the previous two decades, various constraints have restricted the ambition and potential of those relationships.
