US Asian allies Japan, South Korea and China strengthen ties despite concerns

The ROK-US allies, Japan and South Korea, continue to invest in close ties with China despite geopolitical concerns over the specific position China is advocating in an era of fierce competition for powers in the Asia Pacific region.

The emerging strategies of Tokyo and Seoul emerge as Washington demands the international community to confront the People’s Republic. Tuesday’s voting policy as president Donald Trump Confront the former vice president Joe Biden For national elections.

The White House urges countries to reconsider relations with China, but people in the region don’t see confrontation as an option.

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “China is the second largest economy in the world, and Japan-China relations are one of the most important bilateral relations for Japan.” Newsweek.

“There are a number of concerns between Japan and China, but we will continue to insist on what Japan has to argue, resolve each issue, and take advantage of high-level talks and visits opportunities to strongly urge a positive response from China.”

Officially in the case of the Republic of Korea, relations with China have changed much more since they established modern diplomatic relations 28 years ago.

“The Republic of Korea (Korea) and the People’s Republic of China (China) will establish diplomatic relations in August 1992 to end the history of separation for half a century, resume historical exchanges that have lasted for thousands of years, and build friendly and cooperative relations for the future. “The Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Newsweek.

However, both recognize serious challenges in dealing with China.

China and Japan have been trapped in territorial disputes over the Pinnacle Islands in the East China Sea for decades. Known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaowi Islands in China, this unmanned land formation fell under Japanese rule at the end of the 19th century.

China says that the island has historically been part of China, and must be returned along with other occupied territories that Japan conceded after defeat in World War II. Instead, the victorious U.S. captured the island shortly after the conflict and returned control to Japan in the 1970s.

Ignoring Japan’s claims Record number of Chinese ships Said on and off the island, urging the Japanese Coast Guard to respond.

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “It is very regrettable that Chinese government ships continued to sail around Japan and invaded Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands.” Newsweek. “We have repeatedly raised strong protests against these activities in China through diplomatic channels.”

The Ministry of Defense pledged to exert binding power while protecting the territory covered by the treaty requiring US military response in the event of an attack.

“Japan continues to deal with the situation with a calm and determined attitude, with a firm determination to protect Japan’s territory, seas and airspace.

However, China continues to assert its right to patrol conflict areas.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters earlier this month that “Diaoyu Dao and its annexed islands are China’s own territory.” “It is also China’s own right to patrol in relevant waters and carry out law enforcement activities. The Japanese side should respect it.”

Trump executives including the secretary of state Mike Pompeo and Assistant Secretary of the East Asia Pacific Secretariat David R. Stilwell describe China’s behavior here as part of the region’s broader aggressive behavior pattern.

Under Trump, the United States has given priority to the defiant Chinese claim to the region, a trend first adopted by the former president. Barack Obama, Biden served as Vice President.

The Obama administration launched another dispute with China after World War II by deploying an advanced anti-missile defense system (THAAD) to South Korea, another US ally in the Pacific Ocean.

Like Tokyo, Seoul tries to balance its relationship with Beijing, despite the controversy.

“The difference in positions on the deployment of THAAD created a challenge to the relations between Korea and China, but as a result of the consultation to improve relations between Korea and China in October, the result of President Moon Jae-in’s state visit to China in December 2017 is the normalization of relations between the two countries.” said. Newsweek. “Korea-China relations continue to develop in a stable manner through active high-level exchanges.”

The Department of Defense noted that despite the COVID-19 outbreak in the region, these relationships are developing, but have had a more serious impact on the West ever since.

The Ministry of Defense said, “Despite the constraints caused by Corona 19, both Korea and China are continuing high-level communication and exchanges between the two countries through various channels such as face-to-face diplomacy and non-face-to-face diplomacy.”

The Trump administration’s approach to South Korea, on the other hand, has tested decades of relations with states where the United States fought to defend North Korea and China in the mid-20th century.

President Moon accepted Trump’s unprecedented approach to the highest level of direct diplomacy with North Korea, but no negotiations took place and the fragile relationship between North Korea and Seoul eventually collapsed. The US leader has also taken a position to force South Korea to pay more for the cost-sharing agreement for US forces in Korea.

In the absence of negotiations, the future of US military presence seems uncertain and South Korean officials have raised the issue publicly.

South Korean Ambassador Lee Soo-hyuk said, “Just because Korea chose the United States 70 years ago does not mean that it has to choose the United States for the next 70 years.” Committee earlier this month.

He added that “Korea can love the country and continue to be intolerant with the United States only if it is in the interests of the country,” he added, adding that it recognizes the importance of economic relations between Beijing and Seoul, Korea’s top trading partners. .

The State Department quickly refuted this remark and noted that the United States had “prouded” of its long-standing alliance with South Korea in a statement delivered to Radio Free Asia’s Korean language service funded by the US government.

South Korea and China also established defense relations and made progress on the THAAD issue, which once imposed sanctions on Chinese tourism and large corporations in Korea. In exchange for maintaining the current THAAD system, South Korea has agreed to no longer deploy THAAD batteries and additional US-led missile defense systems, and also agreed that there will be no third-party military alliances with Washington and Tokyo.

The so-called “no three” acts as a way for the two countries to develop a historically problematic relationship, Zhao said at a daily press conference last month.

“We are firmly opposed to the US deployment of THAAD in South Korea, which undermines China’s strategic security interests and regional strategic balance,” he said. “We hope that Korea will properly address this issue in accordance with its own agreement with China, and prevent bilateral relations from being broken or affected. We would like to cooperate with Korea to develop bilateral relations.”

Japan also withdrew from plans to purchase US missile armor, a proposal that sparked anger from China and Russia. However, the two countries are concerned that the United States will deploy offensive medium-range missiles in the area since it abandoned the medium-range nuclear force (INF) treaty last year.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin raised this issue at the Val Dai debate club.

“Unfortunately, we have to face new threats,” Putin said as security cooperation between Moscow and China increased. “For example, the US partner’s intention to deploy medium- and short-range missiles in the Asia Pacific region is of course alarming and undoubtedly requires mutual action. This is self-evident.”

He eventually did not rule out the possibility of upgrading the strategic partnership between the two countries. As an official military allianceThe idea was warmly embraced the next day at Zhao’s briefing in Beijing.

These moves, which neither side has yet revealed plans, could reshape Asia’s security environment, where US dominance faces some of the most serious tests since World War II.

The United States has been working to increase its dominance by working with Australia, India and Japan as part of the four-way security dialogue. Foursomes is dedicated to implementing a “free and open Indo-Pacific” that responds to China’s vast territorial claims in strategic areas such as the South China Sea.

However, Tokyo in particular is wary of portraying the Quad as a plot against Beijing.

“The Japan-Australia-India-US framework is a forum for extensive discussions to promote specific cooperation to address common challenges such as’free and open Indo-Pacific’, quality infrastructure, maritime security, counter-terrorism, etc. There is,” said the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Newsweek. “So we don’t focus on a specific country.”

Despite Trump’s strict approach to trade relations, relations between Tokyo and Washington are still strong. It also improved relations with Canberra and New Delhi, despite the fact that Japan’s use of Koreans as a result of Japanese forced labor during World War II, where South Korea continued to demand reparation, was close to historically low levels. Invested in.

China has paid attention to the changing atmosphere of the Asia-Pacific, and official US comments in particular characterize the quad as a kind of quasi-alliance with Beijing.

After Pompeii O’s accusation of “exploitation, corruption, and coercion” of the CCP at four major talks in Tokyo last month, the Beijing embassy in Washington defended China and called the top US diplomats “reckless slander and unfounded accusations” of China. Indicted. In the remarks sent Newsweek.

An embassy spokesman said, “China is committed to the path of peaceful development and is firmly protecting the sovereign, security and development interests.” “At the same time, we are doing our best to resolve the differences with other countries through dialogue and consultation. This is what we say and what we do.”