Tokyo Japan and the US have expressed concern over China's constant attempts to undermine the rules-based order and vowed to cooperate in deterring and responding to the challenges posed by Beijing in the region and world, according to local media.
Japanese and US Foreign and Defence Ministers, in a joint statement issued after their virtual two-plus-two talks, highlighted the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait while opposing any unilateral actions that threaten Japan's administration of the Senkaku Islands in the East China SeaChina Sea, which is controlled by Japan but claimed by China, reported Kyodo News.
The ministers pledged to cooperate in deterring and responding to destabilizing activities Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, and their U.S. counterparts Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed serious and ongoing concerns about human rights issues in China's far-western Xinjiang autonomous region and Hong Kong, according to Kyodo News.
After the talks with the US, Hayashi said key discussions took place over Washington-US relations during the 2nd day and how to tackle the challenges effectively. Hayashi said that he found the statement very ambitious.