U.S. President Joe Biden holds a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the White House on April 16, 2021.
President Joe Biden greets Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, his first foreign leader since taking office, at the White House, and later issues a joint U.S.-Japan statement on Taiwan, which is said to be the first time in half a century that Japan has included Taiwan in a joint U.S.-Japan document since the joint U.S.-Japan leadership talks in 1969 and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Chinese Communist Party in 1972.
Since the 2+2 talks between the U.S. and Japan on the eve of the U.S.-China dialogue in Alaska, Japan’s attitude toward the Chinese Communist Party has become openly assertive. In fact, the first half of the statement already appeared in the 2+2 joint statement, but this time it added “promoting the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.
At the same time that Japanese Prime Minister Kan and Biden issued the joint statement, Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi again mentioned Taiwan during his visit to the island of Jusei on the 17th. He said that it is important for Taiwan to be stable. In this regard, the Japanese media interpreted that on the day of the joint statement of Japan and the United States, Taiwan is jointly stated, Kishi Nobuo’s visit rather emphasizes the presence of the Self-Defense Forces and intends to hold China’s taste. Moreover, Nobuo Kishi put Taiwan’s stability to such a high level: “For Japan’s security or for a more stable international community, Taiwan’s stability is important.”
The Japanese authorities have recently changed their cautious attitude toward China, taking a harsh public criticism of China’s human rights issues and expansion in the South China Sea and East China Sea, and taking a clear position on the Taiwan issue. This joint statement by Japan and the United States shows that Kan has made up his mind to state Japan’s position on the Taiwan issue. The Japanese side was prepared for the Chinese backlash. The Central News Agency quoted a Japanese Foreign Ministry official as saying that the joint statement of the U.S.-Japan leaders’ talks was bound to draw a backlash from China, but that it would be tricky to follow anyway, and that the Japanese government or the Self-Defense Forces would have to review how to act in the event of a development in Taiwan.
This actually means that in the situation where the Chinese Communist Party is pressing Taiwan step by step, Japan must be prepared for the day when it must respond to emergencies, and Japan’s ally, the United States, has always wanted Japan to do so, and it is hard to imagine that Japan will stay out of it.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry immediately retorted on the 17th, saying that “Taiwan and the Diaoyu Islands are Chinese territories. Hong Kong-related and border-related matters are purely internal affairs of China.
Beijing Institute of International Relations associate professor section Dale, originally in recent years China-Japan relations gradually improved, but in March the U.S. and Japan Foreign Minister, Defense Secretary 2 + 2 touched on the Taiwan Strait, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and other issues, has made China dissatisfied. Now, Japan has announced that it will discharge Fukushima nuclear wastewater into the sea, the U.S.-Japan summit is more focused on dealing with the Chinese Communist Party, and the joint statement is even the first mention of Taiwan in 52 years, which is bound to make Beijing unhappy. He concluded that “Sino-Japanese relations feel to be on a deteriorating course.”
Guo Yuren, a professor at the Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Regional Studies at Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, believes that the U.S.-Japan joint statement is a hard document with mandatory force, which means that the U.S. and Japan have extended the scope of security protection to the Taiwan Strait. He believes that this statement will bring Beijing considerable stimulation, plus China has the inertia to punish the weak, is bound to offer a fierce response to Taiwan, Taiwan needs to tense nerves.
In short, the U.S.-Japanese joint statement shows a strong effort to rein in the Chinese Communist Party, not only by including Taiwan in the joint document after half a century, but also by reiterating serious concerns about human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang Uighur. The two sides, while demonstrating their unwavering commitment to promoting a “free and open Indo-Pacific region,” firmly opposed any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the South and East China Seas.
Kan later said in a speech at the Center for International Strategic Studies, a U.S. think tank, that Japan would not budge on matters related to sovereignty, democracy, human rights, the rule of law and other universal values. Regarding the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Hong Kong, Japan will speak out and will work with the international community to demand concrete action for improvement from China.
In his speech, Suga repeatedly referred to the Biden administration’s “values-based diplomacy” that focuses on democracy. He said, “Democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law are the common values that bind our alliance. “
Although Tokyo remains cautious on certain China-related issues, such as the persecution of Uighurs, Japan has not yet joined the U.S.-led sanctions against China. But Michael J. Green, who served as an adviser to the Bush administration on Asia-Pacific affairs, argues that the tone of Japan’s public statements is a little different, but generally in line with the general U.S. direction.
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