A US-Japanese plan to deal with a possible military conflict
across the Taiwan Straits has caused "grave concern" in
Beijing.
Washington and Tokyo will discuss a contingency plan in case of
a "crisis" situation arising in areas around Japan, including the
Taiwan Straits, Kyodo News Agency reported yesterday.
The report quoted several sources familiar with Japan-US
military cooperation as saying the two sides have reached consensus
on the necessity for such a contingency plan and will soon begin
discussing the details.
Responding to the reports, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu
Jianchao told a news conference yesterday: "Taiwan is an
inseparable part of China's territory and any arrangement between
Japan and the United States should respect and abide by the
one-China principle."
"We have expressed grave concern," he added, calling
secessionist forces in Taiwan "the greatest threat to peace and
stability across the Taiwan Straits".
He said both Sino-Japanese and Sino-US relations are developing
smoothly, and expressed the hope that the two countries will take
more active measures conducive to the healthy development of their
relationship with China.
However, Chinese experts on international studies warn that the
strengthening of the US-Japanese alliance is targeted at China and
would further complicate the nation's security environment.
Tao Wenzhao, a senior researcher with the Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences, noted that the alliance aims to act as "a
policeman" in the Taiwan Straits and play a dominant role in the
region.
Wu Xinbo, a professor with the Center of America Studies at
Fudan University, pointed out in a published article that enhanced
security ties between Washington and Tokyo since the mid-1990s have
reshaped the East Asian security environment; and Japan has showed
increased assertiveness and willingness to work militarily with the
United States.
He said interaction between Washington and Tokyo on the Taiwan
issue has been increasing, with Tokyo more actively consulting and
coordinating with Washington in its "relations" with the island
province from listing Taiwan as a common strategic objective to
working on a joint war plan for the Taiwan Straits.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, without referring to the
"Taiwan contingency plan", said yesterday that his country would
pursue assertive foreign policies and strengthen its ties with the
United States and Europe in response to new security threats in the
region.
Abe was addressing his first news conference of the year.
(China Daily January 5, 2007)