The US and Japan yesterday warned Beijing against “coercion and destabilizing behavior” after top-level diplomatic and defense talks aimed at bolstering their alliance against rising Chinese influence.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken are on their first overseas trip, which began on Monday in Japan, looking to shore up regional alliances and send a message to Beijing.
They are to continue on to South Korea, and a policy review by the new administration of its approach to Pyongyang is also a key part of the diplomatic outreach.
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However, discussions in Tokyo focused on China’s maneuvers in the region, including its increasing presence around islands claimed by Taiwan, China and Japan.
“China uses coercion and aggression to systematically erode autonomy in Hong Kong, undercut democracy in Taiwan, abuse human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, and assert maritime claims in the South China Sea that violate international law,” Blinken said at a joint press conference.
“We’re united in a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, where countries follow the rules, cooperate wherever they can and resolve their differences peacefully,” he said.
“We will push back if necessary, when China uses coercion or aggression to get its way,” he said.
In a joint statement, the US officials and their Japanese counterparts also warned that “China’s behavior, where inconsistent with the existing international order, presents political, economic, military and technological challenges.”
“The ministers committed to opposing coercion and destabilizing behavior towards others in the region,” they added.
The joint statement issued specifically referenced the “importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” though Austin declined to comment on whether he agreed with a recent US assessment that Beijing could invade Taiwan within six years.
“My job is to make sure that we are as ready, as fast as we can possibly be to face any challenge that would face us or the alliance,” he said.
Issues from the coup in Myanmar to the way forward with North Korea were also on the table.
Blinken accused the Burmese military of “attempting to overturn the results of a democratic election,” saying it was “brutally repressing peaceful protesters.”
The joint statement called again for Pyongyang’s “complete denuclearization,” warning North Korea’s arsenal “poses a threat to international peace and stability.”
Blinken said that Washington was still examining “whether various additional pressure measures could be effective, whether there are diplomatic paths that make sense” as it reviews US policy on the issue.
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