A
US-Japanese plan to deal with a possible military conflict across the Taiwan
Straits has caused "grave concern" in Beijing.
Washington and Tokyo will discuss a contingency
plan in case of a "crisis" situation arising in areas around
Japan, including the Taiwan Straits, Kyodo News Agency reported yesterday.
The report quoted several sources familiar with Japan-US military cooperation
as saying the two sides have reached consensus on the necessity for such a
contingency plan and will soon begin discussing the details.
Responding to the reports, Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told a
news conference yesterday: "Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory
and any arrangement between Japan and the United States should respect and abide
by the one-China principle."
"We have expressed grave concern," he added, calling secessionist forces in Taiwan "the greatest threat
to peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits".
He said both Sino-Japanese and Sino-US relations are developing smoothly, and
expressed the hope that the two countries will take more active measures
conducive to the healthy development of their relationship with China.
However, Chinese experts on international studies warn that the strengthening
of the US-Japanese alliance is targeted at China and would further complicate
the nation's security environment.
Tao Wenzhao, a senior researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences,
noted that the alliance aims to act as "a policeman" in the Taiwan Straits and
play a dominant role in the region.
Wu Xinbo, a professor with the Center of America Studies at Fudan University,
pointed out in a published article that enhanced security ties between
Washington and Tokyo since the mid-1990s have reshaped the East Asian security
environment; and Japan has showed increased assertiveness and willingness to
work militarily with the United States.
He said interaction between Washington and Tokyo on the Taiwan issue has been
increasing, with Tokyo more actively consulting and coordinating with Washington
in its "relations" with the island province from listing Taiwan as a common
strategic objective to working on a joint war plan for the Taiwan Straits.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, without referring to the "Taiwan
contingency plan", said yesterday that his country would pursue assertive
foreign policies and strengthen its ties with the United States and Europe in
response to new security threats in the region.
Abe was addressing his first news conference of the year.
