Obama confirms Diaoyutai fall under US protection
PLA Navy commander Wu Shengli speaks at the Qingdao Navy Forum on Apr. 22. (Photo/Xinhua)
The American president, Barack Obama, has declared for the first time that the disputed Diaoyutai islands (Senkaku to Japan, Diaoyu to China) fall under the protection of the US-Japan mutual security treaty when interviewed by the Tokyo-based Yomiuri Shimbun on Apr. 23.
"The policy of the United States is clear, the Senkaku islands are administered by Japan and therefore fall within the scope of the US-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, and we oppose any unilateral attempts to undermine Japan's administration of these islands," Obama said when asked whether the United States would take action against a potential Chinese assault on the islands. The president said further that any disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
"In other words, we welcome the continuing rise of a China that is stable, prosperous and peaceful and plays a responsible role in global affairs," Obama said, adding, "our engagement with China does not and will not come at the expense of Japan or any other ally."
The state-run China News Service said of the report that Obama's answer to the Yomiuri Shimbun demonstrates his determination to carry out an Asia Pivot strategy against Beijing.
Interviewed by the Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television, Wu Shengli, commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy, said Japan should take full responsibility if the territorial dispute escalates into full-scale war.
The islands in the East China Sea have been under Japanese control since 1972 but are also claimed by China and Taiwan. Tensions flared up in September 2012 when Japan nationalized the islands through a purchase from Japanese title-holders, a move condemned by Beijing as an illegal expropriation of Chinese territory.
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