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.
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