How Japanese PM wriggled out of tight spot regarding Taiwan during meeting with Biden
Or, How U.S. “Alliance Managers” & Joe Let Japan Off The Hook
Amid the barrage of analyses of the April 16th summit meeting between President Biden and Japanese Prime Minster Yoshihide Suga, an article in Japan’s Asia Nikkei stood out – and offered a telling, if not amusing, look into the Japanese view of things.
Here’s how Asia Nikkei says it went: The Biden administration’s Asia Czar, Kurt Campbell, made the rounds in Tokyo before Prime Minister Suga’s trip to Washington. Campbell reportedly asked the Japanese to enact their own version of America’s Taiwan Relations Act (TRA). This act – which is in fact a law – requires America to provide Taiwan with the necessary resources to defend itself. And it raises the possibility that the U.S. just might fight to protect Taiwan.
The TRA was drafted shortly after President Jimmy Carter’s recognition of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) (and ‘de-recognition’) of the Republic of China (ROC)) – Taiwan – in 1978. It intended to handcuff President Carter owing to fears on Capitol Hill that Carter would give the Chinese a ‘green light’ to seize Taiwan. Congress was a different place in those days. It was long before Chinese Communist Party (CCP) money spread to just about every corner of D.C. – either directly or via U.S. corporate interests.
A Japanese TRA would be a big deal as the most important free country in Asia firmly laid out its support for Taiwan (to include military support) and obligated Japanese governments to act. Beijing would be furious.
If Campbell could have pulled it off, Team Biden would have had something serious to boast about.
According to the Asia Nikkei article, the Japanese expressed ‘reluctance’ (a Japanese way of saying ‘hell no’) to Campbell. But there was still fear that Biden might directly ask Suga to move on a Japanese Taiwan Relations Act. Brushing off Kurt Campbell is one thing, telling the U.S. president ‘no’ – to his face and in the Oval Office – is another.
The article claims that Suga attempted to ‘alter (the) narrative.’ According to the story, it was Suga who raised the issue of China with Biden – to include offering that “Japan needs to bolster its defensive capabilities.” And laying it on thicker, the article says Suga declared: “We need to engage in frank dialogue with China and tell them what we need to tell them.”
Ultimately, Biden did not push Suga on the Japan Taiwan Relations Act.
According to the Asia Nikkei, a Japanese foreign ministry official speculated: “Perhaps the U.S. side was satisfied when they heard the prime minister speak sternly about China.”
While bypassing the TRA issue, the Prime Minister and President’s joint statement did express their mutual concern over the situation in the Taiwan Strait. This was the first mention of Taiwan in such a joint statement in 52 years.
Suga reportedly told his aides afterwards: “I think things went well.”
And well he might, having just ‘rolled’ the Americans. Once again Japan wriggled out of a tight spot — and the Americans once again backed down when they needed to keep the pressure on Japan. Watch this trick performed for a few decades and one knows what’s coming.
But isn’t it significant that Japan agreed to mention Taiwan in the joint leaders’ statement?
Maybe to American ‘alliance managers’ who consider a smooth meeting and a 6,000 word joint statement the measure of success.
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