President Joe Biden says he and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga are committed to working together to counter challenges from China and North Korea. Kan’s visit was the first summit at the White House since Biden took office.
Biden and Kan held a joint press conference in the White House Rose Garden on Friday (April 16) following the day-long U.S.-Japan summit. Speaking to reporters, Biden said the two leaders reaffirmed their “ironclad support for the U.S.-Japan alliance. He said, “We are committed to working together to address the challenges from China, the East and South China Seas and North Korea to ensure a free and open future for the Indo-Pacific region.”
President Biden said their discussions were “productive” and said the U.S. and Japan also agreed to work together to support global efforts for a new vaccine crown and to promote new global technology development, including 5G networks, artificial intelligence and quantum computing.
We also had serious discussions about China’s impact on peace and prosperity in the Pacific region and around the world,” Kan said of the U.S.-Japan summit. We agreed to oppose any attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea and South China Sea, and to intimidate others in this region. At the same time, we also agreed on the need for us to each engage in frank dialogue with China and in doing so seek stability in international relations while preserving universal values.”
In response to questions from reporters, Suga said the two leaders discussed Taiwan and said they reaffirmed the importance of “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait. He said he would not disclose further details of the discussion on Taiwan.
Kan said he told Biden that he was committed to continuing to push for plans to hold the Summer Olympics in Tokyo despite the new crown outbreak. He said Biden expressed support.
Suga is the first foreign leader Biden has met face-to-face with since he became U.S. president in January.
Speaking to reporters at the White House before the talks began, Biden said he was “really pleased to welcome such a close ally and good partner.
Suga said he appreciated the opportunity to hold the meeting and reaffirmed the “new close ties” between Japan and the United States.
Biden, who took office in January, has focused on reinvigorating U.S. alliances and U.S. involvement in multilateral institutions. Former President Trump often criticized or avoided these multilateral mechanisms.
The meeting underscored the importance of alliance ties. The U.S. and Japan’s common adversary, China, is currently growing in strength and becoming increasingly aggressive.
Explaining his decision to pull U.S. troops out of Afghanistan earlier this week, Biden said, “We must consolidate American competitiveness against tough competition from an increasingly assertive China.”
Japan recently joined the U.S. and other democracies in publicly criticizing China for human rights abuses and incursions into disputed waters in the East and South China Seas, in what is seen as a departure from Japan’s long-held position centered on trade and commerce. China is Japan’s largest trading partner.
Sheila Smith, a senior fellow at the Institute of Foreign Relations, told Voice of America that the U.S. and Japan want to form a united front on China, but “both governments understand that this is a delicate moment when it comes to relations with China. They don’t want to incite or provoke behavior that they don’t want.”
Koji Tomita, Japan’s ambassador to the United States, told VOA this week that Japan is “encouraged” by Biden’s active engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. He cited a quadripartite meeting Biden hosted by Web video last month. The meeting was attended by the leaders of Japan, Australia and India.
“The international order is being challenged in different ways, so we want to continue to have concrete discussions about the ways in which Japan and the United States can act to achieve our common vision.”
Before Kan’s meeting with Biden, China’s Foreign Ministry warned Japan not to be misled by some countries that hold a bias against China.
Earlier this month, China also sent a naval battle group to nearby Okinawa, where the United States has a military presence, a signal that Beijing is ready to counter the U.S.-Japan alliance.
The United States has about 55,000 troops stationed in Japan. The two countries often describe their alliance as a “cornerstone” of peace and stability in Asia.
Recent Comments