Keeping an eye on ‘the Chinese threat’ United States and Japan plan to strengthen their defence ties. US and Japanese foreign and Defence ministers, in a joint statement said China is an “unprecedented” threat to international order and pledged to position their alliance to “prevail in a new era of strategic competition”.
“China’s foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order to its benefit and to employ China’s growing political, economic, military, and technological power to that end,” said the statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Japanese counterparts, Yoshimasa Hayashi and Yasukazu Hamad.
“This behavior is of serious concern to the alliance and the entire international community, and represents the greatest strategic challenge in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.”, the joint statement said.
There has been a general agreement to adjust American troop presence on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa to add anti-ship capabilities that would be needed in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan or other hostile acts in the South or East China Seas. The island of Okinawa however has seen increasing protests in recent times from the locals against the presence of American troops in Japan.
It was also made clear that “attacks to, from and within space” could trigger mutual defence provisions of the treaty. That had previously been outside the Scope of the agreement.The two countries’ efforts to strengthen their collaboration “across all realms,” including space, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, are reflected in the pact, according to Blinken.
He said the US-Japan alliance has “been the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, ensuring the security, the liberty and prosperity of our people and people across the region”.
