US and Japan accuse China of destabilising Indo-Pacific

Tokyo: The United States and Japan have both agreed that ‘China’s actions in the Indo-Pacific violate international law and create instability. With its activities, China is posing a challenge politically, economically and militarily to the countries in the region and the international community.’ The United States and Japan’s foreign and defence ministers met on Tuesday for a ‘two plus two’ meeting. The joint statement released by the two countries’ leaders on the occasion of the meeting condemned China.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Japan on Tuesday. The visit is the first foreign trip of a leader from the Biden administration. On the occasion, Blinken and Austin met with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi. Secretary of State Blinken made it clear upon his arrival in Japan that the ‘two-plus-two dialogue was aimed at underlining cooperation with Japan.

In the joint statement issued after the meeting between the leaders, the two countries criticised China’s actions in the Indo-Pacific region as destabilising. The statement accused China of creating instability in the area. Also, both nations announced that the United States and Japan would always oppose China’s coercive actions, which violate international law. The United States said in the statement that it was committed to protecting Japan’s rights over the Senkaku Islands.

Meanwhile, the statement even denounced the authority China has recently given to its Coast Guard. Last month, China’s Communist regime authorised its Coast Guard to fire on foreign ships entering the East and the South China Sea. Japan, Taiwan, and the Southeast Asian nations have expressed concern that China could abuse the powers to launch attacks on neighbouring nations’ ships. In the wake of the events, the United States and Japan criticised China’s latest rules and declared their commitment to the security of countries in the region during the two-plus-two meeting.

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