The two main allies of the United States in East Asia are concerned about the crisis created by the visit of the President of the House of US Representatives.
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The atmosphere surrounding the visit on Friday August 5 in Japan, from Nancy Pelosi is like the sky of Tokyo: stormy. After a passage in a defiant South Korea, the president of the House of Representatives of the United States stopped in a worried, even dissatisfied archipelago. Japan is the last step of an Asian tour marked by a visit to Taiwan which embarrasses the first two allies of the Americans in East Asia, reluctant to anger their Chinese neighbor.
The question dominated the breakfast taken by Nancy Pelosi with the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his interview with the president of the lower room of the Japanese Parliament Hiroyuki Hosoda, when a furious China leads to August 7 Military maneuvers with real ammunition around Taiwan. “They will not insulate Taiwan by preventing us from going there. We had high-level visits, senators in the spring, in a bi-partisan way (…) and we will not let them isolate Taiwan”, a Insured Nancy Pelosi at a press conference in Tokyo.
These exercises aim to punish Taipei. They also target Washington and Tokyo. The maneuvers encroach on the exclusive economic zone of Japan, where Beijing did not hesitate to pull a salvo from missiles. Mr. Kishida described this gesture as “serious problem that affects our national security and that of our citizens” and called for the immediate stop of the exercises.
Officially, according to government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuo, Japan “is not in a position to comment” the Taiwanese visit of Nancy Pelosi. But, according to diplomatic sources, “if we had been able to give our opinion, we would have said that it was not a good idea”. A remark that implies that the archipelago was not consulted on the visit of the American official.
The Chinese reaction confirms the difficulty for Japan to stay outside a possible conflict around Taiwan. “The Americans have mobilized maritime and air means from their bases in Japan, especially in Okinawa, to ensure the security of Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. As a result, in the event of a conflict, Japan would not be spared by Chinese missiles “, notes Tetsuo Kotani, specialist in security issues at Meikai University.
ambiguity of the Japanese government
To this security concern is added that for the economy. The current maneuvers show that China can impose a blockade of Taiwan. The Japanese authorities had to call the fishermen of the Sakishima Islands – including Yonaguni, a hundred kilometers east of the Taiwanese coasts – to avoid outings. Maritime and air traffic is stopped or diverted around Taiwan for exercises. However, adds Professor Kotani, “this kind of massive exercise could become a routine in the coming years”.
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