Japan vows to tackle Chinese ‘coercion’
Japan will back Australia and work with Canberra to tackle Beijing’s technology theft and domination of supply chains.
Japan has backed Australia in its battle against Chinese “economic coercion” and says it will work with Canberra to tackle Beijing’s technology theft and domination of key supply chains.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton, in a call with Japanese counterparts Motegi Toshimitsu and Kishi Nobuo, said the “coercive and destabilising behaviour in the region” was concerning, specifically noting tensions in the South China and East China seas and in the Taiwan Strait.
“In this context, we express our concerns over China’s Coast Guard Law and reaffirm that the actions of a state’s coast guard must be consistent with international law,” read a joint statement issued after the virtual meeting. “We underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues.”
Under China’s Coast Guard Law, any vessel found within Beijing’s “Nine Dash Line” of claimed territory in the South China Sea could be challenged.
With China having implemented more than $20bn in targeted trade sanctions against Australia, Japan also expressed alarm at “coercive practices” and vowed to “work with partners to address economic challenges to support a free, open, inclusive and prosperous Indo-Pacific”.
The high-level meeting came as Scott Morrison, before departing to attend a G7 meeting in Cornwall, warned that the Indo-Pacific was “the epicentre of renewed strategic competition” and urged the restoration of a penalty system under the World Trade Organisation to curb attempts at economic coercion from China.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, South Korea President Moon Jae-in and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
US President Joe Biden’s top security adviser for the Asia-Pacific, Kurt Campbell, said earlier on Wednesday that he wanted the Quad grouping – the informal strategic dialogue between the US, Japan, Australia and India – to become the “defining feature of modern diplomacy … in a way that is deeply consequential for the 21st century”.
The leaders of the four nations are due to meet in Washington later this year, where Dr Campbell said there were hopes it would “do something constructive with respect to infrastructure”.
A focus of the Quad following a meeting in March has been countering China’s vaccine diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific. Beijing has established a foothold in delivering millions of jabs to the region.
Speaking at a conference organised by the Centre for a New American Security, Dr Campbell said he expected the G7 – which Mr Biden will also attend – would discuss issues related to Taiwan.
“With all the challenges we are facing right now, the last thing we need are things that are destabilising across the Taiwan Strait,” Dr Campbell said.
He added that the US would not change its official position of “strategic ambiguity” with Taipei.
China has increased the frequency of its incursions into Taiwanese air and sea territory.
It has long regarded Taiwan as a breakaway province.
Senator Payne and Mr Dutton, in the statement issued late Wednesday with the Japanese officials, said the countries were committed to “opposing coercion and destabilising behaviour by economic means, which undermines the rules-based international system”.
“We will explore deeper collaboration, including to address illicit technology transfer, build resilience in relevant supply chains, increase defence industrial base collaboration, and promote the application of international law and agreed norms in state conduct in cyberspace,” the statement read.
“We will deepen co-operation on cyber and critical technology, including to develop our bilateral partnership, with a view to advancing collaboration on relevant themes such as research and development, regional capacity building, and industry resilience.”
The focus on supply chains and critical technology comes as the Biden administration concludes a 100-day review into the issue. Overnight, the US said it would target China with a new strike force to combat unfair trade practices and was considering bringing critical drug manufacturing onshore to lessen imports.
Mike Green, a prominent foreign policy analyst at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said it was “stunning how aggressive Xi Jinping and the CCP have become”.
“It seems China’s assessment is they (that) have a five-to-10-year window to cement their leadership position in Asia, and that explains why they’ve been pressuring everyone simultaneously: Australia, India, Taiwan, Japan,” Mr Green said.
Dr Campbell said it was incumbent on the US “to stand up and make clear we’ll stand with countries like Australia challenged in this way”. He said the inevitable strategic competition with China should “bring out the best in us”.
“We don’t want to sink into xenophobia,” he said.
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