Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her spokesmen were evasive Friday when asked about reports that the US and Japan will announce Saturday that they jointly regard Taiwan as a mutual security concern, a move seen as potentially committing both countries to act in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
The plan was first revealed in the Friday edition of the Washington Post in a report from Tokyo.
The Post report said that in the most significant change to the US-Japan Security Alliance in a decade, "Japan will join the Bush administration in identifying security in the Taiwan Strait as a `common strategic objective.'"
The decision is scheduled to be announced, the report said, after a meeting in Washington of the two countries' foreign and defense ministers -- ? Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and Minister of State for Defense Yoshinori Ono.
Rice and Machimura were to hold a half-hour bilateral meeting yesterday morning followed by a meeting of all four officials constituting the US-Japan Security Consultative Committee. It is the first meeting of the consultative organization since Dec. 16, 2002.
Asked Friday about the meeting and the report, Rice said only that the discussion will be about "how we continue to promote peace and security in the region."
"Of course, the cross-straits [sic] issue is an issue of concern in the Asia Pacific," Rice said. "The policy of the US is quite clear. We have a one-China policy we recognize on the basis of the three communiques. We also have responsibilities under the Taiwan Relations Act."
She also said Washington has cautioned both sides against attempts to change the status quo unilaterally.
"And our efforts to maintain stability in the region count very much on American adherence and that of our allies, of which Japan is certainly an ally, that the cross-straits [sic] problem would be resolved peacefully," Rice said, in response to a reporter's question during a press conference with Dutch foreign minister Bernard Bot in the State Department.
She also said that the US and Japan "enjoy very deep and broad relations in an alliance to try and help bring and maintain peace and stability in the Asia Pacific region."
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said that yesterday's meeting "will have a full and complete discussion of security in the region, as well as US-Japan relations."
"We are not extending the US-Japan Mutual Security Treaty," Boucher insisted. "We're having discussions within the scope of that treaty about areas in the region ... and more generally in terms of our interests there."
In terms of individual issues, Boucher said "Taiwan Straits [sic], perhaps, will come up." Pressed about what Japan may do, Boucher retorted, "as far as issues of what exact role they play depends on the Japanese government, and they'll have to answer those."
The Washington Post report quotes Japanese officials as noting that the country's constitution limits the level of assistance that Japan could offer in the event of a US confrontation with China over Taiwan.
However, it says yesterday's joint statement "could help lay the groundwork for the Japanese to extend as much cooperation as they legally can, including logistical support such as transportation and medical rescue operations behind the lines of combat."
It also quotes Shinzo Abe, the acting secretary general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party as saying, "It would be wrong for us to send a signal to China that the US and Japan will watch and tolerate China's military invasion of Taiwan."
"If the situation surrounding Japan threatens our security, Japan can provide US forces with support," Abe was quoted as saying.
The US-Japan meeting comes as Tokyo is reconsidering its defense posture and the use of its self-defense forces, and as Washington is rethinking its force posture in East Asia to put more reliance on such allies as Japan.
This week, the Japanese Cabinet approved and sent to the Diet a bill to ease the rules for using missile defense against incoming ballistic missiles.
Such a defense would employ warships equipped with the Aegis missile interception system and PAC 3 surface-to-air missiles.
While Taiwan's Legislative Yuan is still dealing with whether to approve funds for a massive US arms sales deal including the PAC 3's, Washington has refused to sell the Aegis-equipped warships to Taiwan in deference to China's objections.
Under current law, Japan cannot send its Aegis vessels to the Taiwan Strait area to come to Taiwan's defense, but Tokyo has been involved in an internal debate in recent years over whether or not to relax that restriction.
Also see stories:
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
RSS