TOKYO – Tokyo-based Secretary of State Antony Blinken fired rhetorical salvos at Beijing in a symbolic opening act of the Biden government’s diplomacy abroad.
“China is using coercion and aggression to systematically defend autonomy in Hong Kong, undermine democracy in Taiwan, abuse human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, and claim claims in the South China Sea that violate international law,” he said. Shining said at a news conference. . “We will, if necessary, push back on China’s coercion or aggression.”
Mr. Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin were on their first foreign trip to Japan on Tuesday by members of President Biden’s cabinet. They said the US and Japan would step up deterrence to meet China’s challenges.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi says the discussion on China led to a 90-minute meeting with Mr. Shining seized.
Mr. Motegi said both parties were concerned about a new law allowing the Chinese Coast Guard to use military force to defend national sovereignty. Tokyo fears that Beijing may use it to take islands in the East China Sea that are controlled by Japan but that are claimed by China.
Mr Austin said the US military must respond to the rapid progress that Beijing has made over the past two decades as a fighting force. “Our goal is to make sure we maintain a competitive edge over China, or anyone else who wants to threaten us or our alliance,” he said.
U.S. and Japanese officials have not outlined any new initiatives, but in a joint statement, Japan said it would strengthen its defenses, and its allies said it would build partnerships with other democracies. On Friday, Mr. Biden spoke via video link to the leaders of India, Australia and Japan, a group known as the Quad that has taken on a new meaning as a counterweight to China.
From left: mr. Austin, mr. Blinken, the Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Mr. Motegi and mr. Kishi on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Photo:
Kim Kyung-hoon / Associated Press
Zhao Lijian, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, spoke on Tuesday before concluding meetings in Tokyo, saying Beijing believes that US officials’ consultations should promote peace and stability in the region and that they should not rely on a third party. should not be or to prejudice the interests of a third party. ”
Beijing has rejected US criticism of its policies in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and other suburban areas, saying they are internal affairs.
Visits by Messrs. Blinken and Austin to Tokyo and Seoul this week reflect Mr Biden’s goal of building a consensus on China with Asian allies, which is sometimes more cautious about confronting Beijing because of close economic ties.
Japan’s trade with China is larger than that with the US, and Japanese technology companies, especially those that manufacture industrial robots, semiconductors and electronic components, rely heavily on sales to China. Tokyo prepared Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a state visit last year before the plan was lifted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
There is also conflict between some senior members of the Japanese ruling party who have ties to China and younger politicians who are more concerned about Beijing’s rapid military rise, said Mieko Nakabayashi, a professor at Waseda University in Tokyo.
Recently, Japan sharpened its criticism of China and joined a statement by the Group of Seven Nations condemning Beijing’s efforts to end democracy in Hong Kong.
Messrs Blinken and Austin also met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday. The US cabinet members travel to South Korea on Wednesday.
South Korea has been wary of provoking China, its largest export market and a possible channel to enter into talks with North Korea again. It has given up speculation that it could become a fifth member of the Quad Group of Nations.
Seoul’s deputy foreign minister said in a radio program last week that his country would not participate in forums that exclude a particular country.
“To the best of my knowledge, South Korea has never had and still has a well-thought-out China policy, except to try hard not to make it angry,” said Wi Sung-lac, a former senior South Korean diplomat who retired in 2015.
This approach to China has opened the South Korean economy to the coercion of Beijing and raised hopes in Beijing that Seoul could be detached from the US orbit, Mr. We said. The government of President Moon Jae-in has repeatedly said it is committed to Seoul’s military alliance with Washington.
Later this week, Mr. Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan meet with their Chinese counterparts in Alaska, while Mr. Austin will travel to India.
—Endrew Jeong in Seoul contributed to this article.
Write to Alastair Gale by [email protected]
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