US President Joe Biden may be indifferent towards Chinese aggression against Taiwan, but Japan is compelling him to follow Trump’s Taiwan policy. In his first in-person summit after assuming office as the US President, Biden hosted Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the White House.
The Biden-Suga meeting produced a dramatic result. The two leaders called for “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” in a joint statement. The two leaders also expressed “serious concerns regarding the human rights situations” in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. This is the first time since 1969 that the leaders of the two countries mentioned Taiwan in a joint statement.
In order to further affirm the commitment against Chinese aggression in the region, Suga said, “We agreed to oppose any attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East and South China seas and intimidation of others in the region.”
The joint statement has definitely got Beijing rattled, which is why the Chinese Embassy in the US also expressed “strong concern and firm opposition” to the joint statement. The Embassy added, “These comments have gone far beyond the scope of normal development of bilateral relations. They are harmful to the interests of a third party, to mutual understanding and trust between regional countries, and to peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific.”
The fact that Biden felt compelled to mention Taiwan is a major victory for Japanese diplomacy. Till now, the Biden administration was more or less indifferent in face of Chinese belligerence and military positioning against the country. China was freely bullying it but Japan ensured that the issue did not die down
In fact, it is only because of Suga’s express support to Taiwan that the Biden administration has not been able to completely abandon the island nation. Japan kept the discussions on Taiwan alive, which has also infuriated China. In March, for instance, Japanese and US defence chiefs met in Tokyo and agreed to closely cooperate in the event of a military clash between China and Taiwan.
Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi had actually gone the extra mile to underscore Chinese belligerence against Taiwan. He mentioned the recent increase in the number of Chinese warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait’s median line.
Japan’s strong and explicit support for Taiwan’s right to self-determination has forced Biden to criticise the Chinese belligerence. Left to himself, Biden would not even bother to take notice of Chinese aggression against Taiwan but Japan has consistently forced the Biden administration to toe Trump’s line on the island nation.
On the other hand, China itself remains concerned about Japan’s frequent remarks about Taiwan. Beijing understands that Japan will keep stepping up the pressure on Biden, with reference to the Taiwan issue. Also, China would have anticipated that Suga will make a big issue out of Taiwan during his White House meeting with Biden. Therefore, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi dialled his Japanese counterpart- Toshimitsu Motegi, earlier this month. Unsurprisingly, Yi had Taiwan on his mind.
The conversation between the two Foreign Ministers had lasted over 90 minutes. Although Wang Yi did not raise the Taiwan bogey directly, his message to Tokyo was more than clear, and it came straight from Xi Jinping, “China hopes that Japan, as an independent country, will look at China’s development in an objective and rational way, instead of being misled by some countries holding biased view against China.”
Yet, Japan has remained undeterred. For Suga, Taiwan carries a lot of strategic significance. He understands that support for Taiwan is what keeps China in check. And as a part of this strategy, Suga has managed to keep the Taiwan issue alive, even against Biden’s will.