Japan, US criticise China in top Biden officials' first trip

Japan and the United States joined forces to criticize China's “coercion and aggression" in Asia as senior ministers from both countries held their first in-person talks since President Joe Biden took office in January. Aside from the sharp rhetoric aimed at Beijing, the meeting Tuesday in Tokyo and a planned stop next in Seoul are as much an effort by the Biden administration to reassure worried allies in Asia after occasionally confrontational dealings with the Trump administration.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after holding the so-called “two plus two” security talks with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Japanese counterparts —Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi — said democracy and human rights are being challenged and the United States will push with its partners for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Blinken said the Biden administration is committed to work with US allies as they face challenges from China and its ally North Korea, which is pursuing an illicit nuclear weapons program. “We will push back if necessary, when China uses coercion or aggression to get its way,” he said.

In a joint statement released after the talks, the ministers shared strong worry over Beijing's human rights violations in Xinjiang, “unlawful maritime claims and activities in the South China Sea” and “unilateral action that seeks to change the status quo” over the Japan-controlled East China Sea islands that China also claims. The statement also stressed the importance of “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait.

On the Biden administration's first Cabinet-level trip abroad, Blinken and Austin also agreed with their Japanese counterparts to cooperate on the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, as well as the nuclear threat posed by North Korea and the situation in Myanmar after its military coup.

Earlier Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister warned the U.S. to “refrain from causing a stink” if it wants to “sleep in peace” for the next four years. She also criticised the U.S. and South Korea for holding military exercises. Kim Yo Jong's statement was North Korea's first comments directed at the Biden administration.

The White House noted the Cabinet secretaries' travel in the region and said its focus was partnering with allies on issues such as security in the region. “Our objective is always going to be focused on diplomacy and denuclearization of North Korea," press secretary Jen Psaki said. Biden's decision to send key ministers to Japan as their first overseas visit  rather than hosting Japanese officials in Washington meant a lot for Japan, which considers its alliance with the United States the cornerstone of its diplomatic and security policies.

Blinken said the choice of destination was “no accident" and that he and Austin were in Japan “to reaffirm our commitment to the alliance and to build on it." He said the United States and its allies are working on together on climate change, cyber security and health security “in support of our shared values.” Blinken also said that the United States and Japan reaffirmed the importance of their three-way partnership with South Korea, though the ministers did not publicly mention the strained relations between Tokyo and Seoul over wartime compensation issues.

South Korea and Japan have been struggling to repair relations that sank in 2019 following South Korean court rulings that ordered Japanese companies to pay reparations for forced labour during World War II. Those rulings led to trade curbs by both countries and Seoul threatened to scrap a bilateral military intelligence-sharing agreement that was a major symbol of the countries' three-way security cooperation in the region.

Since then, both Japan and U.S. have changed leaders, leaving hope for improved relations. Austin referenced “China's destabilising actions" and said it was a “a pacing challenge” for his department. He said the allies need to develop operational capability to respond quickly to a security threat like China.

"We know that competing in today's shifting global dynamics, can only be done through the spirit of teamwork and cooperation, which are the hallmarks of our alliance with Japan,” he said.

Kishi said Japan, which has increasingly worked side-by-side with the U.S. military, will bolster extended deterrence and readiness across domains including space and cybersecurity by deepening coordination and aligning security policies. Japan's constitution prohibits the use of force in settling international disputes, and any attempt to increase its military capability is a sensitive issue in Asia.

Japan is also in a delicate diplomatic situation because its economy, like those of other countries in the region, heavily depends on China. But Tokyo considers China's escalating maritime activity in the region a security threat. Beijing has built manmade islands in the South China Sea and equipped them with military equipment and is pressing its claim to virtually all of the sea's key fisheries and waterways.

Japan opposes China's claim to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, called Diaoyu in China, in the East China Sea and its increased activity in the disputed area. China has denied it is expansionist and has said it is only defending its territorial rights. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday said U.S.- Japan dialogue “should not target or harm the interests of third parties.” 

(Image Credits: AP)