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 | Daily News Brief April 23, 2014 |
Top of the Agenda
Obama Navigates Asia-Pacific Security Challenges
U.S.
president Barack Obama assured Japan of the United States' position
that disputed East China Sea islands under Japanese control, called the
Senkaku Islands in Japan and Diaoyu Islands in China, are covered by the
defense treaty between Washington and Tokyo. The remarks came ahead of
Obama's arrival in Japan on Wednesday, the first stop on an Asia tour that comes amid regional security tensions with China (BBC) and a military push by Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe (WSJ).
Meanwhile, naval chiefs from twenty Pacific Rim countries including
China, the United States, Japan, and the Philippines approved the
first-ever code of conduct for unplanned naval encounters in a bid to
avert emergencies amid escalating territorial tensions in the region (WSJ), while a new analysis of satellite imagery dampened expectations of an upcoming North Korean nuclear test (Reuters).
Analysis
"[Japan and the United States] need to agree upon what constitutes unfortunate but acceptable levels of ordinary harassment around the islands
(e.g., occasional intrusions by Chinese vessels, aircraft or drones;
incidents involving ships switching on their engagement radars). The
allies need to distinguish this from behavior in which China aims to
meaningfully change the facts on the ground, such as by stationing
military forces on the islands, building and claiming structures there
or attempting to deny Japanese access. The allies also need to have some
private and frank conversations about likely responses to such Chinese
actions," writes Jennifer Lind for the Asahi Shimbun.
"Besides
the question of personal chemistry between Obama and Abe, the
'discordance' surfacing within the alliance risks sending the wrong
message to the Chinese, who are watching for any sign of weakness in
U.S.-Japan relations which might help them contest Japan's sovereignty
over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. Tokyo's priority will therefore be a joint declaration by the two leaders
in reaffirming the healthy state of the alliance. Obama will no doubt
grant this assurance, although it will be carefully worded to avoid the
U.S. being automatically dragged into an open conflict between Japan and
China over the disputed territory," writes Yo-Jung Chen in the Diplomat.
"Rebalancing
is indeed desirable, including reconfirmation of American security
commitments. Yet that alone will only increase the likelihood of an arms
race and the risks of military clashes. All around the periphery of
China nations should follow the Philippine example
of seeking to test China's claims and their own before an impartial
international tribunal, and the U.S. should be openly encouraging them
to do so, despite its own mixed record in dealing with international
law," writes CFR's Jerome Cohen in ChinaFile.
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