Why regional partners would defend their interests

Australia relied on Royal Navy protection, so an attack on that shield would be an immediate concern rather than a distant European dispute. Dutch and French choices would likewise turn on the danger that Japanese expansion posed to their own colonial positions. Australian and New Zealand manpower commitments in Europe also rested on expectations that Singapore would be protected. British funding could allow Republican Chinese forces to carry much of the land fighting, echoing Britain's use of financed coalition armies in earlier wars. Germany or Italy might send limited formations comparable to the Condor Legion to prevent Britain and France from dominating the outcome. A competitive intervention modeled on the Spanish Civil War could absorb rival attention in a long Asian land war without requiring an alliance built on shared ideals.