At the stage of the US general election, people have been arguing that whoever is elected president of the United States will be tough on China. This analysis is very objective and correct. US “President-elect” Biden claimed in a telephone meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on November 12 that the Diaoyu Islands are the subject of Article 5 of the US-Japan Security Treaty.
Article 5 of the “Japan-US Security Treaty” is “joint defense.” Each of the contracting states swears to take action against common dangers in accordance with the provisions and procedures of the country’s constitution if any party is attacked by force under the jurisdiction of Japan. It can be said that Biden has begun to stand up to China before he officially takes office. Everyone knows that the Diaoyu Islands have always belonged to China. This is a fact that cannot be changed. The Chinese have absolute will to safeguard the sovereignty and integrity of the country.
At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China on November 12, spokesman Wang Wenbin said in response to this that the Diaoyu Islands and its affiliated islands are China’s inherent territory, and the “Japan-US Security Treaty” is a product of the Cold War and should not be harmed. The interests of the three parties should not endanger regional peace and stability.
Japan is of course very happy about Biden’s statement on the Diaoyu Islands issue. Before Biden officially came to power, he confirmed the matter with Biden in advance, which shows that Japan is still very worried about this.
After all, Trump is very optimistic about the treaty. In April 2019, Trump said, “Almost all countries in the world have taken advantage of the United States…even Japan. We have a security treaty with Japan. If Japan is attacked, we have to fight. The Third World War.” Trump said: “We have to protect them and use our lives and property to fight.
We will fight at all costs, right? But if we are attacked, Japan doesn’t need it. Help us, they can sit in front of the Sony TV and watch us under attack.”
Trump’s remarks left Japan with no bottom, so before the new president officially took office, he couldn’t wait to confirm it to alleviate his concerns.
Biden worked under Obama for 8 years, and his thinking was Obama-like. Then, we can speculate on Biden’s understanding and views on the Diaoyu Islands from Obama’s thinking and policies.
In 2014, the then-U.S. President Barack Obama visited Japan. At a press conference, Obama clearly stated in response to reporters that Article 5 of the “Japan-US Security Treaty” applies to the defense of the Diaoyu Islands. But he said, “I need to emphasize that the US government has no position on the ownership of the Diaoyu Islands, but it opposes unilateral changes to the status.
According to the spirit of the Japan-US Security Treaty, all land under Japanese administration belongs to the The scope of application of the U.S. Security Treaty.” Obama also stated that he expects Japan and China to resolve this issue peacefully. Any provocation by language will not help resolve the issue. The United States also has a close relationship with China.
China is not only an important power in Asia but also the world. The United States supports China’s peaceful rise.
When asked whether the U.S. military would directly participate if China took military actions against the Diaoyu Islands, Obama smiled bitterly and said: “This is a difficult question, I am afraid I cannot answer it. Japan-US Security Treaty I was born before I was born, so I don’t understand many backgrounds. I just think that in accordance with the spirit of the treaty, the Japan-US Security Treaty applies to the scope of Japan’s administration. However, I have emphasized to Prime Minister Abe in my talks not to use Japan. The escalation of the antagonism between China and China will brew measures to improve Japan-China relations, and the United States is willing to provide diplomatic help.” Obama also said: “Not all armed conflicts require the participation of the US military.”
Obama’s statement did not give Japan peace of mind at the time, and he seized every opportunity to confirm. In February 2017, during a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US Secretary of Defense Mattis, they reaffirmed the position that the Diaoyu Islands are the subject of Article 5 of the Japan-US Security Treaty, which stipulates the United States’ defense obligations against Japan.
The “Japan-US Security Treaty” has decades of history. According to the treaty, the United States promised to help defend Japan, and Japan provided military bases for the US military to station, including Okinawa, the largest overseas station of the US Marine Corps, and the Yokosuka Naval Base near Tokyo where the aircraft carrier battle group was deployed.
The United States continues to release messages to Japan that it will help defend the Diaoyu Islands, which can be said to be a dangerous signal, because it may inflate Japan’s ambitions, cause Japan’s military expansion to become normal, and it will also bring the United States’ blockade of China to a new height. .
Du Wenlong, a Chinese military expert, once analyzed that the inclusion of the Diaoyu Islands issue by the United States within the scope of the “Japan-US Security Treaty” will have a serious impact on the situation in the East China Sea and China’s surrounding areas. This will provide reasons for Japan to strengthen its armed forces, and may lead to Japan’s future operations on the Diaoyu Islands. Military expansion has become the norm, and the level of joint operations between Japan and the United States will rise to a new level. In addition, this will also mean that the strength of the future transfer of US military power to the Asia-Pacific will be further enhanced, and the containment and containment of China will also rise to a new level.
Du Wenlong pointed out that the United States has many goals in this move. On the one hand, it hopes that Japan will cooperate to allow Japan to purchase more high-end U.S. weapons and equipment to expand its military power, so that the United States can receive more “protection fees.” On the other hand, the U.S. military took the opportunity to find reasons for its transfer of weapons and equipment to the Asia-Pacific region, and at the same time seek more funds for the research and development of new weapons and equipment, and help it to maintain one to two generations of weapons and equipment with other countries. “The goal.
In fact, to be rational, Biden’s commitment to Japan is probably verbal. If China and Japan really fight for the Diaoyu Islands, whether the United States will send troops will be restricted by various factors, such as Sino-Russian relations and Sino-US economic and trade. Relations, China’s military strength, etc.
