US President Barack Obama confirmed yesterday that the US’ mutual security treaty with Japan applies to the islands at the center of a territorial dispute between China and Japan.
“The policy of the United States is clear,” he said in a written response to questions published in the Yomiuri Shimbun before his arrival in Tokyo at the start of a four-country Asia tour.
“The Senkaku Islands are administered by Japan” and therefore fall under the US-Japan treaty, he wrote. “And we oppose any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan’s administration of these islands.”
Photo: Reuters
His statement seems aimed at reassuring Japan that the US would come to its defense if China were to seize the islands, known in Taiwan as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) and in China as the Diaoyu Archipelago (釣魚群島).
Russia’s annexation of Crimea has sparked concern about the US’ political will to protect Asian allies, notably in Japan and the Philippines.
A Chinese government spokesman responded that China has “indisputable sovereignty” over the islands, and said “the so-called Japan-US alliance” should not harm China’s territorial rights.
“We firmly oppose applying the Japan-US security treaty in the issue of the Diaoyu Islands,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Qin Gang (秦剛) said at a regular briefing.
“The US should respect facts, take a responsible attitude, remain committed to not taking sides on territory and sovereignty issues, speak and act cautiously, and earnestly play a constructive role in regional peace and stability,” he added.
Obama told the Yomiuri the US is deepening its ties with China, but “our engagement with China does not and will not come at the expense of Japan or any other ally.”
He said the US will continue to take steps to reduce the impact of its military presence in Okinawa, but added: “It’s important to remember that the US Marine Corps presence on Okinawa is absolutely critical to our mutual security. It plays a key role in the defense of Japan.”
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
The Philippines is working behind the scenes to enhance its defensive cooperation with Taiwan, the Washington Post said in a report published on Monday. “It would be hiding from the obvious to say that Taiwan’s security will not affect us,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro Jr told the paper in an interview on Thursday last week. Although there has been no formal change to the Philippines’ diplomatic stance on recognizing Taiwan, Manila is increasingly concerned about Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea, the report said. The number of Chinese vessels in the seas around the Philippines, as well as Chinese
URBAN COMBAT: FIM-92 Stinger shoulder-fired missiles from the US made a rare public appearance during early-morning drills simulating an invasion of the Taipei MRT The ongoing Han Kuang military exercises entered their sixth day yesterday, simulating repelling enemy landings in Penghu County, setting up fortifications in Tainan, laying mines in waters in Kaohsiung and conducting urban combat drills in Taipei. At 5am in Penghu — part of the exercise’s first combat zone — participating units responded to a simulated rapid enemy landing on beaches, combining infantry as well as armored personnel. First Combat Zone Commander Chen Chun-yuan (陳俊源) led the combined armed troops utilizing a variety of weapons systems. Wang Keng-sheng (王鏗勝), the commander in charge of the Penghu Defense Command’s mechanized battalion, said he would give
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
RSS