US can rely on what China decries as the 'Asian NATO' for deterrence, former officials say

The QUAD dialogue between the U.S., Japan, Australia and India provides perhaps the strongest regional deterrence against China's regional ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.

U.S. President Joe Biden, front, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, front right, listen to the national anthem during a welcome ceremony for President Biden, at the Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, May 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool) (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool) This May, 2017, photo shows Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s helicopter carrier Izumo.  Japan has adopted new defense guidelines, calling for converting a destroyer into Japan’s first aircraft carrier to deploy advanced U.S.-made stealth fighters, as Japan seeks to increase defense spending and bolster arms capability in coming years. (Kyodo News via AP) This photo provided by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force shows USS Abraham Lincoln, left, and JS Kongo, front, sail in formation during a U.S.-Japan bilateral exercise at the Sea of Japan on April 12, 2022. U.S. and Japanese warships, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, are conducting their joint naval exercise in waters between Japan and the Korean Peninsula for the first time in five yeas, in a show of their close military alliance amid growing speculation of North Korea's missile or nuclear testing later this week.(Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force via AP) (AP) U.S. President Joe Biden, right, meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Quad leaders summit at Kantei Palace, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet each other before their meeting in New Delhi, India on Dec. 6, 2021. India on Thursday said it would ramp up its production of military equipment, including helicopters, tank engines, missiles and airborne early warning systems, to offset any potential shortfall from its main supplier Russia. Former Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda said that during a visit to India last year by Russian President Vladimir Putin the two sides decided to shift some manufacturing to India to meet its requirements. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File) (AP) In this Oct. 16, 2016, file photo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, front and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands with leaders at the BRICS summit in Goa, India. At least three Indian soldiers, including a senior army officer, have been killed in a confrontation with Chinese soldiers along their disputed frontier high in the Himalayas where thousands of troops on both sides have been facing off for over a month, the Indian army said. The army said in a statement Tuesday, June 16, 2020, that a "violent faceoff" took place in Galwan valley in the Ladakh region on Monday night "with casualties on both sides."  (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File) Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter with a focus on national and global news. 

The U.S. faces a difficult and complex effort to check China’s regional ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. Officials previously told Fox News Digital that the U.S. relies on overlapping bi-lateral treaties to create a similar cooperation that the majority of Europe utilizes via NATO. 

Downer argued that it is best to operate from the assumption that China’s political system "won’t change between now and when I die."