It raises warnings against China, Japan and the United States, promising further cooperation in security

TOKYO / WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) – The United States and Japan on Friday expressed concern over China’s growing strength and pledged to work together against efforts to destabilize the region against growing security threats.

The comments by the two allies, in a joint statement following a virtual “two-plus-two” meeting of their foreign and defense ministers, highlighted how deeply Japan’s security role has been heightened by warnings about China and rising tensions over Taiwan. Attention.

Ministers expressed concern that China’s efforts to “undermine rule-based order” would present “political, economic, military and technical challenges to the region and the world.”

“They decided to prevent them from working together and, if necessary, to respond to destabilizing activities in the region,” it said.

The ministers said they had “serious and persistent concerns” over human rights issues in China’s Xinjiang and Hong Kong regions, and underlined the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

In response, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said China had lodged a formal complaint with both countries.

While pacifist Japan maintains close economic ties with China, there is growing concern in Tokyo about Beijing’s possible move against democratic Taiwan.

“This is a concerted message that reflects a common concern. It is not a case of the US shaking hands with Japan to sign ambiguous speeches,” said Daniel Russell, who served as top US diplomat for Asia under Obama. Asia Society Policy Institute.

“In particular, the expression of the collective resolution to respond if necessary to destabilizing actions is a powerful expression of coalition solidarity and commitment.”

Ahead of the talks, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the allies were planning a new defense cooperation agreement to deal with emerging threats, including hypersonics and space-based capabilities.

New tools

Blinken is not the only “US-Japan alliance.” Strengthen the tools we have, But create new ones “, citing Russia’s military build-up against Ukraine, Beijing’s” provocative “actions on Taiwan and North Korea’s recent missile launches. “Hypersonic missile“It hit a target successfully this week, its state news agency said.

Russia, China and the United States are in the race to develop hypersonic weapons, making it difficult to detect and intercept interceptor missiles at high speeds and maneuvers.

While its neighbors are testing hypersonic missiles, Japan is operating on electromagnetic “railcon” technology to target those missiles.

“We must continue to pursue all avenues, including cooperation with the United States, to strengthen our comprehensive missile defense capabilities,” Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters.

Explaining Tokyo’s plan to reconsider its national security strategy to enhance security capabilities, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said after the meeting that it was strongly supported by US colleagues.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida promised to reconsider Japan’s defense strategy in October to consider “all options, including so-called anti-strike capabilities.”

The government of Kishida has given its approval The cost of registration security, With the 10th consecutive annual increase in 2022.

According to Jeffrey Hornung, Japan’s security policy expert at the Rand Corporation, a US – backed think tank, while Japan’s options for using force are realistically limited, the Taiwan emergency is a potential scenario that Japan could consider threatening its survival.

“There is no coded news here,” Hornung said.

“China is challenging, as they say, to describe all the ways in which the Coalition will act resolutely to counter its destabilization measures.”

Report by David Brunstrom, Dan Whitcomb and Rami Ayub, Ju-Min Park and Kiyoshi Takenaka; Additional Report by Martin Pollard in Beijing; Editing by David Dolan, Richard Bullin and Sri Navaratnam

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