Japan and Australia yesterday signed a “landmark” treaty to enhance defense ties, saying the accord would contribute to regional stability, as China expands its military and economic clout.
Although Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not mention Beijing directly in a statement released ahead of the signing, the agreement is seen as another step by the regional allies to signal their concern over China’s military expansion.
Ahead of yesterday’s online summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Morrison called the agreement “a statement of two nations’ commitment to work together in meeting the shared strategic security challenges we face and to contribute to a secure and stable Indo-Pacific.”
Photo: AFP
Australia has been working with Japan, India, the UK and the US to strengthen defense ties amid concerns about China, including its pressure on Taiwan, freedom of navigation in the region and trade disputes.
The Reciprocal Access Agreement, Japan’s first with any country, would allow Australian and Japanese militaries to work seamlessly with each other on defense and humanitarian operations, Morrison said.
“Japan is our closest partner in Asia as demonstrated by our special strategic partnership, Australia’s only such partnership — an equal partnership of shared trust between two great democracies committed to the rule of law, human rights, free trade and a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Morrison said.
Kishida called the agreement a “breakthrough” and said ties with Australia would remain a model for security cooperation with other countries, a Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told a news conference.
When asked about the treaty at a regular briefing on Wednesday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) said that “the Pacific Ocean is vast enough for the common development of countries in the region.”
The question of Japan’s security role is likely to figure prominently at “two-plus-two” talks today between the foreign and defense ministers of Japan and the US.
“The ministers are expected to talk about security cooperation in the region,” a Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told reporters ahead of the talks.
Although Japan maintains a “one China” policy and China is its top export destination, Tokyo’s relationship with Taipei has flourished in the past few years on a largely non-governmental basis, and there has been growing debate among politicians and security experts on whether it should get involved if China was ever to take military action against Taiwan.
Today’s talks could see the US and Japan formalize their work on a draft plan for a joint operation in the event of an emergency over Taiwan, Kyodo news agency reported.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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