US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in Japan on their first overseas trip, looking to rally key Asian allies as a bulwark to China.
The pair, who traveled separately, met in Japan for the first leg of their trip, holding talks with their counterparts, as well as Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
They both plan to continue on to South Korea, before Austin heads separately to India and Blinken holds talks back in the US with Chinese officials.
Photo: AFP
US President Joe Biden’s team has been deliberately slow to start the usually hectic pace of diplomatic travel that marks a new administration, hoping to set an example discouraging travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the administration has also made clear it wants to reset US relations with the rest of the world, particularly traditional allies.
In a joint opinion piece in the Washington Post yesterday, Austin and Blinken said that they would look to “revitalize our ties with friends and partners.”
The visit is also about presenting a united front on the challenges posed by China.
“Our combined power makes us stronger when we must push back against China’s aggression and threats,” they wrote. “Together, we will hold China accountable when it abuses human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, systematically erodes autonomy in Hong Kong, undercuts democracy in Taiwan or asserts maritime claims in the South China Sea that violate international law. If we don’t act decisively and lead, Beijing will.”
Speaking in Hawaii before heading to Japan, Austin said that he and Blinken would be “listening and learning,” as well as looking to enhance US military capacity with allies to increase Washington’s “competitive edge” over Beijing.
“Our goal is to make sure that we have the capabilities and the operational plans ... to be able to offer a credible deterrence to China or anybody else who would want to take on the US,” he said.
A senior US defense official, speaking to reporters traveling with Austin, said discussions with Japanese officials would include talks on “China’s role in the region, China’s behavior in the region.”
Beijing’s increased presence in the waters around the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) — administered by Japan as the Senkakus, but also claimed by Taiwan and China — would also be on the table.
“That’s an important part of the conversation because we have treaty commitments with Japan,” the official said, referring to US defense obligations to Japan under a joint security treaty. “It’s a sensitive part of the conversation that we’ll have.”
The pair arrive in Asia after an unprecedented summit of the leaders of the so-called “Quad” — an informal alliance of the US, Japan, India and Australia, seen as a counterbalance to China’s influence.
Blinken’s events in Tokyo and Seoul are to be largely virtual, with addresses to Japanese business leaders and journalists by videoconference, though his talks with officials are to be in person.
In Seoul, he is to consult on Biden’s review of policy toward Pyongyang in the wake of former US president Donald Trump’s summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source