Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at a press conference on March 5.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will hold their first talks in Washington on March 16. Top U.S. officials have revealed that the summit is expected to mention the Taiwan issue, touching a sensitive nerve with the Chinese Communist Party.
The Taiwan issue is expected to be a focus of the U.S.-Japan summit as Chinese military aircraft continue to infest Taiwan on a large scale. A senior U.S. government official told Reuters that the two heads of state will focus on the most sensitive territorial issues of the Chinese Communist Party and are expected to mention the Taiwan issue in the joint statement.
The last time the U.S. and Japan mentioned Taiwan in a joint statement was in 1969. At the time, the Japanese side said maintaining the security of the Taiwan region was of vital importance to Japan.
According to the report, the U.S. and Japanese heads of state will also discuss Beijing’s approach to Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and announce a $2 billion plan to invest in the 5G sector to counter Communist China’s Huawei.
AFP analyzed that the China issue will be the overwhelming topic of the U.S.-Japanese head of state talks. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga hopes to further strengthen U.S.-Japan bilateral relations, coordinate their positions and more effectively deal with the increasingly aggressive Chinese Communist Party in the international arena.
In March, U.S. and Japanese defense and diplomatic officials met in Tokyo and issued a statement noting that the CCP’s actions were “inconsistent with the international order” and expressing serious concerns about human rights issues in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi criticized the CCP’s military actions in the East China Sea and South China Sea at a press conference, the first time a Japanese official has criticized the CCP by name, drawing attention to the issue.
Before Kan prepared to leave for the United States, Japan’s foreign minister was invited to speak with the Chinese Communist Party’s foreign minister, and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimichi Mogi expressed serious concerns about the intrusion of Chinese maritime police vessels into the waters around the Diaoyu Islands, as well as human rights issues in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi threatened Japan to “not extend its hand too far” and not to be “led by the U.S.”.
However, in the previous joint statement of the U.S.-Japan 2+2 talks, Japan has made it clear that it is concerned about the “importance of peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait.
AFP analyzed that the joint statement issued after the meeting between Biden and Kan should reaffirm the obligations of both sides to the security of the Diaoyu Islands. Both sides may also emphasize the “utmost importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Benjamin Friedman, director of policy at the Washington think tank Defense Focus, told VOA that the two sides are likely to reaffirm their commitment to the Diaoyu Islands. Friedman told the Voice of America that the statement is expected to state that “U.S.-Japan cooperation in maintaining regional stability is critical.”
The State Department said last Friday that the new guidelines for engagement with Taiwan are consistent with the U.S. One China Policy, the Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S.-China Three Communiqués and the Six Assurances.
Friedman said, “These new measures are intended to signal or indicate to the Chinese (Communist Party) that their efforts to intimidate Taiwan will only bring the United States closer to Taiwan.”
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