TOKYO: United States Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday (Dec 10), having a day earlier warned American troops close to Tokyo of the risk represented by China.
Austin will meet Ishiba after which Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani on what is probably going his final official journey to the area, as the important thing allies put together for a brand new period formed by US President-elect Donald Trump’s “America First” insurance policies.
The Pentagon chief on Monday described the risk posed by China in a speech aboard the plane service USS George Washington, which is stationed off Yokosuka, south of Tokyo.
“The PRC is the one nation on the planet that has the intent and, more and more, the potential to alter the rules-based worldwide order,” he mentioned, utilizing the initials of its full title, the Individuals’s Republic of China.
“And so, , we wish to see this area, this space stay open to freedom of navigation and the power to fly the skies and worldwide airways every time we wish to,” Austin mentioned.
“We will proceed to work with our allies and companions to make sure that we are able to do exactly that.”
Round 54,000 US army personnel are stationed in Japan, largely in Okinawa, east of Taiwan. Increased military activity around the self-ruled island since Monday has fuelled hypothesis about drills by China, which claims Taiwan as its territory.
Austin additionally spoke about the situation in Syria, the place Islamist rebels have unseated president Bashar al-Assad after a long time of brutal rule.
“As this unfolds, there is a potential that parts within the space, resembling (Islamic State), might attempt to reap the benefits of this chance and regain functionality,” Austin mentioned, in feedback echoed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Austin’s journey to Japan is his thirteenth go to to the Asia-Pacific area as defence secretary, in keeping with the Pentagon.
