US Vice President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe field questions at a joint press conference in Tokyo, Dec. 3. (Photo/CNS)
Japan is striving for assistance from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to confront China over its air defense indification zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea, according to China's state-run Global Times.
Itsunori Onodera, Japan's defense minister, has already paid a visit to the Philippines on Dec. 7-8, while the country's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, will hold a meeting in Tokyo on Dec. 13 with leaders of the 10 ASEAN nations, the paper said. Like Japan, some ASEAN members such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia are currently locked in territorial disputes with China over disputed waters.
Japan is trying to form an alliance with those nations to contain China's maritime power in both the East and South China Seas. The meeting was originally set to discuss issues related to maritime security, but after China's announcement of its new ADIZ on Nov. 23, air safety will now be included as a key topic of discussion. Most of the ASEAN countries may want to remain neutral however since China and Japan are both important trade partners to them, the Tokyo-based Kyodo News said.
During his recent visit to Manila, Onodera spoke of his concern over the Chinese ADIZ to Philippine defense minister Voltaire Gazmin and Julie Bishop, the Australian minister of foreign affairs, according to American broadcaster ABC. He warned that it is possible for China to establish another such zone in the South China Sea, adding that Japan and the Philippines should work towards a closer strategic relationship in the region.
Meanwhile, the state-run China News Service stated that the Philippine navy had entered Chinese waters while performing a rescue operation over Reed Bank at the northeast end of the disputed Spratly (Nansha) island on Dec. 7. Six countries — Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei — claim in whole or part to the South China Sea and its island chains and shoals.
No comments:
Post a Comment