US reaffirms ‘unshakable’ support for Japan as China escalates over Taiwan remarks – Firstpost

The United States reaffirmed its strong support for Japan on Friday and described its commitment to the bilateral alliance as “unwavering” after China sharply criticized Prime Minister Sanae Takachi’s comments on Taiwan. Beijing has stepped up its rhetoric against Tokyo, strongly objecting to Takachi’s November 7 remarks that a Chinese military attack on Taiwan could create an “existential-threatening situation” for Japan, potentially allowing it to exercise its right to collective self-defense. His statement in parliament indicated how the Japanese Defense Forces might act in the event of a Taiwan contingency.

US Ambassador to Japan George Glass described China’s response as “provocative” after discussions with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. According to Kyodo, he said China’s actions were “very unhelpful and undermine regional stability”, calling Beijing’s ban on aquatic imports from Japan “a classic case of Chinese economic coercion”. Glass said Washington remains committed to the defense of Japan, including the Senkaku Islands.

The uninhabited islets in the East China Sea are administered by Japan but claimed by China, which refers to them as Diaoyu and has stepped up patrols around them. “We strongly oppose any unilateral attempt to change or influence the status quo,” he said.

Beijing is seeking to step back as tensions rise over trade and defense

China has insisted that Takaichi retract his statement to restore stable ties, but he declined to do so on Friday. Considered supportive of China, she said Japan has been “steadfast” on Taiwan, noting its desire to improve relations with Beijing. “I myself have repeatedly stated this position in my responses. The government’s position remains consistent,” he said before leaving for the G20 summit in South Africa, the South China Morning Post reported.

Beijing has taken several retaliatory measures, including reinstating a recently lifted suspension on seafood imports from Japan and issuing a travel warning. Since China remains the largest source of tourists to Japan with about 7.4 million visits this year, Chinese travelers have largely canceled trips as a result of the advisory. China also considers Taiwan an integral part of its territory and is committed to unifying it with the mainland.

On Friday, China expressed strong objection to Japan’s export of Patriot air-defense interceptor missiles to the United States, the first such shipment of the advanced weapons since Japan relaxed its arms export rules. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said that post-World War II treaties prohibited Japan, as a defeated country, from being “completely disarmed” and from maintaining industries capable of enabling rearmament. He said Japan has eased sanctions, increased its defense budget for 13 consecutive years, and adopted new security laws allowing the exercise of the right of collective self-defense. These developments, he said, show that Japan is moving away from an exclusively defense-oriented stance and is increasingly “re-arming” itself.

Mao warned that any attempts by Japan to return to militarism, abandon its commitment to peaceful development, or disrupt the post-war international order would not be accepted. “The Chinese people will not allow this and the international community will not allow this. Such efforts will only end in failure,” he said.