Both sides of the Taiwan Strait are up-grading their military power, yet globally there is a trend toward resolving international disputes through negotiation. From a national defense point of view, weapons are only the front line of defense. Diplomatic support and the international situation also play a vital role in security.
Foreign relations can be more important than military force.
In September of this year, the revisions to the US-Japan Defense Cooperation Guidelines were made public in New York. But, the US and Japan have never specifically included either the Korean Peninsula peninsula nor the Taiwan Strait in this definition. International waters Lin Cheng-yi, a researcher in the Institute of European and American Studies at the Academia Sinica, points out that the new Guidelines do not specify any particular geographic areas. But the two areas closest to Japan are Korea and Taiwan. When the PRC mounted threatening maneuvers around Taiwan last year, and the US sent two aircraft carriers to keep an eye on the situation, Japan lent support to the US mission.