Obama: US committed to defend Japan
T President Barack bama assured ally Japan on Thursday that Washington was committed to its defense including of tiny isles at the heart of a row with China but denied he had drawn any new “red line and urged peaceful dialogue over the islands.
is comments drew a swift response from China which said the disputed islets were Chinese territory.
bama also urged Japan to take “bold steps to clinch a two-way trade pact seen as crucial to a broad regional agreement that is a central part of the leader’s “pivot of military diplomatic and economic resources towards Asia and the Pacific.
and Japanese trade negotiators failed to resolve differences in time for bama and Prime inister hin o Abe to shake hands on a deal at the summit. The leaders reported progress but a Japanese official said later that there were too many issues to resolve by the end of the day.
bama on the start of a four-nation tour is being treated to a display of pomp and ceremony meant to show that the - Japan alliance the main pillar of America’s security strategy in Asia is solid at a time of rising tensions over growing Chinese assertiveness and orth orean nuclear threats.
“We don’t take a position on final sovereignty determinations with respect to enkaku but historically they have been administered by Japan and we do not believe that they should be subject to change unilaterally and what is a consistent part of the alliance is that the treaty covers all territories administered by Japan bama said.
“This is not a new position this is a consistent one he told a joint news conference after his summit with Abe using the Japanese name for the islands that China which also claims sovereignty over them calls the iaoyu.
“ n our discussions emphasi ed with Prime inister Abe the importance of resolving this issue peacefully bama added.
Whilst his comments amounted to a restatement of longstanding policy there was symbolism in the commitment being stated e plicitly by a president in Japan.
esponding to bama’s remarks Chinese oreign inistry spokesman in ang told a daily press briefing in Beijing that the islands belonged to China.
“The so-called -Japan security treaty is a product of the Cold War era and it cannot be aimed at a third party and ought not to harm China’s territorial sovereignty he said.
“ o matter what anyone says or does it cannot change the basic reality that the iaoyu slands are China’s inherent territory and cannot shake the resolve and determination of the Chinese government and people to protect our sovereignty and maritime rights.
International rules
bama also said there were opportunities to work with China which complains that his real aim is to contain its rise but called on the Asian power to stick to international rules.
“What we’ve also emphasi ed and will continue to emphasi e throughout this trip is that all of us have responsibilities to help maintain basic rules of the world and international order so that large countries small countries all have to abide by what is considered just and fair he said.
ome of China’s neighbors with territorial disputes with Beijing worry that bama’s apparent inability to rein in ussia which anne ed Crimea last month could send a message of weakness to China.
bama told the news conference that additional sanctions were “teed up against ussia if it does not deliver on promises in an agreement reached in eneva last week to ease tensions in kraine.
The two leaders also agreed that their top trade aides Trade epresentative ichael roman and Japanese conomy inister Akira Amari would keep trying to narrow gaps in their trade talks.
Abe has touted the Trans-Pacific Partnership as key to the “Third Arrow of his economic program to reinvigorate the world’s third-biggest economy along with hyper-easy monetary policy and fiscal spending.
Both sides have also stressed that the TPP would have strategic implications by creating a framework for business that could entice China to play by global rules.
But the talks have been stymied by Japan’s efforts to protect politically powerful agriculture sectors such as beef and disputes over both countries’ auto markets.
Pointing to restrictions on access to Japan’s farm and auto sectors bama said “Those are all issues that people are all familiar with and at some point have to be resolved. believe that point is now. roman and Amari were working on the wording of a joint statement the Japanese official said.
p erts had said that failure to reach a final deal could cast doubts on Abe’s commitment to economic reform as well as take the wind of the sails of a drive for a broader TPP agreement.
“ f they don’t show progress ... it will be harder to use TPP as a spur to reforms said obert eldman a managing director at organ tanley ecurities in Tokyo. “ t gives the anti-reform forces aid and comfort.
Diplomatic challenge
The diplomatic challenge for bama during his week- long four- nation regional tour is to convince Asian partners that Washington is serious about its promised strategic “pivot while at the same time not harming ties with China the world’s second-biggest economy.
bama will also travel to outh orea alaysia and the Philippines.
Abe who repeatedly referred to the president as “Barack during their news conference and bama were keen to send a message of solidarity after -Japan ties were strained by Abe’s ecember visit to Tokyo’s asukuni hrine seen by critics as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism.