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TOKYO (REUTERS) – A senior Japanese defense official on Friday (December 25) urged US President-elect Joe Biden to “be strong” to support Taiwan in the face of aggressive China, calling the security of the island as a “red line”.
“We are concerned that China will expand its aggressive stance to areas other than Hong Kong. I think one of the next targets, or the one that worries everyone, is Taiwan,” Defense Minister Yasuhide Nakayama told Reuters.
In an interview, Nakayama, Japan’s deputy defense minister, urged Biden to take a similar line on Taiwan as outgoing President Donald Trump, who has significantly increased military sales to the Chinese-claimed island and increased engagement.
Japan’s engagement with Taiwan has also flourished in recent years on a largely non-governmental basis.
Tokyo maintains a “one China” policy, delicately balancing its relations with neighboring giant China and its longtime military ally in Washington.
Japan shares strategic interests with Taiwan, which sits on sea lanes through which much of Japan’s energy supply and trade flows.
“So far, I have not yet seen a clear policy or announcement on Taiwan from Joe Biden. I would like to hear it quickly, then we can also prepare our response on Taiwan accordingly,” Nakayama said.
During the presidential campaign, Biden called for strengthening ties with Taiwan and other “like-minded democracies.”
Decades ago, as a senator, Biden questioned whether the United States had an “obligation” to defend Taiwan. But many in their foreign policy circles acknowledge that America’s imperatives have changed as an authoritarian and rising China has become more assertive and seeks to shape global institutions.
An official on Biden’s transition team said the president-elect believes that US support for Taiwan “must remain strong, principled and bipartisan.”
“Once in office, he will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait problems in accordance with the wishes and best interests of the people of Taiwan,” the official said.
Beijing has been angered by increased US support for Taiwan, including arms sales and visits to Taipei by top US officials, further straining already poor Sino-US ties.
China regards Taiwan democratically governed as one of its provinces and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under Beijing’s control.
‘Red line’
“Taiwan is China’s internal affair,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday. “We firmly oppose interference in the internal affairs of China by any country or person by any means.”
In Taipei, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou highlighted the strong bipartisan US support for Taiwan based on the “shared language” of freedom and democracy.
“Taiwan looks forward to working closely with the Biden team to continue to constantly improve Taiwan-US relations on the basis of the strong existing friendship,” he said.
American officials in Tokyo could not be reached because the embassy was closed for Christmas.
“There is a red line in Asia: China and Taiwan,” Nakayama said, citing a red line that former President Barack Obama declared on Syria’s use of chemical weapons, a line that Damascus later crossed. Biden was Obama’s vice president.
“How will Joe Biden react in the White House in any case if China crosses this red line?” said Nakayama, who attended a memorial for the late former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui in August, before assuming his advocacy position. “America is the leader of democratic countries. I have a strong feeling to say: America, be strong!”
Chinese fighter jets in recent months have carried out waves of sorties, including crossing the sensitive China-Taiwan median line, increasing pressure tactics to erode Taiwan’s willingness to resist, current Taiwanese and U.S. military officials say and previous.
Taiwan deployed its navy and air force on Sunday when a group of Chinese carriers led by the country’s newest aircraft carrier sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, a day after a US warship transited the same waterway.
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