French bases in the South China Sea could have made a combined Franco-Russian force far more sustainable against Japan. The Anglo-Japanese Alliance changed that calculation by committing Britain if either ally faced two or more powers. French intervention therefore risked bringing the Royal Navy into the war and threatening the Russian reinforcement voyage before it reached East Asia. Alliance language and access to overseas bases could deter a fleet deployment without a battle.
Notable Point · 35:57-37:23
How the Anglo-Japanese Alliance constrained France
The alliance made a Franco-Russian naval intervention dangerous because British entry would turn Japan's regional war into a wider maritime contest.