Home » Japan’s new defense white paper states for the first time the importance of stability in Taiwan

Japan’s new defense white paper states for the first time the importance of stability in Taiwan

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The Japanese cabinet meeting passed the 2021 defense white paper on Tuesday (July 13), which clearly pointed out for the first time that stabilizing the situation in Taiwan is very important to Japan’s security and international social stability. The white paper also pointed out that the political, economic, and military aspects of the United States and China have become more constrained and competitive, and regional countries including Japan and the international community have expressed strong concerns about China’s military trends, national defense policies, and the opacity of military-related affairs. .

Japan’s new defense white paper pointed out that since President Donald Trump came to power, the United States has paid more and more attention to Taiwan. Not only has it sold 11 arms to Taiwan in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act, it has sent warships through the Taiwan Strait frequently, and it has also actively sent high-level officials. Officials visit Taiwan.

The white paper believes that from the perspective of US-China developments, the Biden administration will, like the previous Trump administration, have a more obvious military support for Taiwan; at the same time, China, which lists Taiwan as its core interest, will also be more obvious. It is almost impossible to make any compromise with the United States on the Taiwan issue.

The white paper emphasizes that the antagonism between the United States and China on the Taiwan issue may become more obvious. Therefore, stabilizing the situation in Taiwan is very important for Japan’s security and the stability of the international community. Japan must pay close attention to this with a high degree of tension.

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U.S.-China relations have deteriorated sharply since Trump’s presidency. The two sides have not only waged a trade war, but also frequently moved on the Taiwan issue. Cross-strait relations have also deteriorated sharply since Tsai Ing-wen was elected president of Taiwan. Beijing has not only severed all official ties with the Cai government, but has also increased its military pressure and intimidation on Taiwan in an all-round way. It has become the norm for Chinese military aircraft to fly around Taiwan or invade Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. Beijing has dispatched up to 28 sorties of various types of Chinese military aircraft to invade Taiwan’s air defense identification zone at the same time, artificially increasing the tension in the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese government has always regarded Taiwan as a rebellious province and has threatened to realize the reunification of the mainland and Taiwan even if it does not hesitate to use force.

Japan’s new defense white paper stated that China’s military operations around Taiwan have become more active and Taiwan’s response to this has made it impossible for the outside world to deny the possibility of increased cross-strait military tensions.

“As China rapidly increases its military power, changes in the US-China military balance may affect the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region,” the white paper pointed out. “Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to the military movements of the two countries in the South China Sea and Taiwan.”

When talking about the comparison of military power between the two sides of the strait, the white paper pointed out that China has been committed to military expansion in the past 20 years, and its military expenditure is at least 16 times that of Taiwan, and the gap between the two sides of the strait is expanding year by year. The white paper says that China’s military budget of US$181.6 billion is already four times that of Japan.

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The white paper accuses China of continuously trying to change the status quo by force in the waters surrounding the Senkaku Islands (called “Diaoyu Islands” in China). Japan feels strongly about this. The activities of the Chinese Coast Guard ship in the waters of the Senkaku Islands are fundamentally “violating international law.” In February of this year, China implemented a new maritime police law, authorizing maritime police ships to fire and use force. This not only harms the legitimate interests of Japan and other related countries, but also raises tension in the East China Sea and other waters. Japan is totally unacceptable.

Information photo: Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi at the press conference (September 16, 2020)

Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi emphasized the importance of cooperation between Japan and the United States in the white paper. He said that the Self-Defense Forces of the Japanese Ministry of Defense not only cooperate with the United States, but also with Australia, India, Britain and France and other European countries, Canada, New Zealand and other countries, and make more contributions to the maintenance of regional and international peace and security.

Nobuo Kishi said, “As the standard-bearer of universal values ​​such as freedom, democracy, and the rule of law in the Indo-Pacific region, he loves freedom and firmly believes in democracy, and is deeply angry at the failure to protect human rights. We firmly oppose the attempt to change order with power.”

The new version of the defense white paper passed by the Japanese cabinet, especially its high attention to the situation in Taiwan, has been warmly welcomed by Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ou Jiang’an (data photo)

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ou Jiang’an (data photo)

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ou Jiang’an said that Japan’s new defense white paper mentions the importance of stability in Taiwan for the first time. “This shows that the Japanese government is highly concerned about the security of the Taiwan Strait. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again expresses its high welcome and sincere thanks.” Ou Jiangan pointed out that the Japanese government has repeatedly stated that Taiwan and Japan share basic values ​​such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, and have close economic and trade relations and personnel exchanges. It is an important partner and precious friend of Japan. The Taiwan government will build on the existing sound foundation. Continue to work closely with Japan and countries with similar ideas, firmly defend democratic values ​​and a rule-based international order, and work together to maintain regional peace, stability and prosperity.

In response to the new Japanese defense white paper, the Chinese Embassy in Japan issued a statement expressing strong dissatisfaction.

The statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in Japan accused the Japanese Defense White Paper of continuing its erroneous position, with a more negative tone, “indecent accusations of China’s defense and army building.” The statement criticized the White Paper for “brutally interfering in China’s internal affairs on Taiwan and other issues, replaying the East China Sea and South China Sea issues, wantonly discrediting China’s legitimate actions in safeguarding national sovereignty and interests, and exaggerating the so-called “China threat”.” The statement stated that China is strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed to this and has lodged solemn representations with Japan.

The statement accused Japan of successively manipulating China-related issues, poisoning the atmosphere of Sino-Japanese relations, damaging mutual trust between the two sides, and causing serious interference to the relations between the two countries. The statement urged the Japanese side to “correct its attitude toward China” and “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and damaging words and deeds that harm China’s interests” to avoid further damage to the relations between the two countries.

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