Table of Contents
What has happened?
- In its “Defense of Japan” white paper published on Tuesday (July 13), Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) removed Taiwan from a map of China for the first time.
- In previous years, the white paper merged Taiwan and China in the same chapter and map, drawing criticism from Taiwanese living in Japan.
- However, the latest version stresses the distinction between the two, indicating a change in policy by Japan Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.
What is the change?
- For the first time, Taiwan has been removed from the white paper’s chapter on China.
- Instead, Taiwan has been included in Part I, Chapter 2, Section 3 of “Relations between the United States and China, etc.”
- In the past, Taiwan was included as a “region” in a map of China in Part 1, Chapter 2, Section 2 titled, “Deployment and Strength of People’s Liberation Army.“
- In the new version, Taiwan is completely grayed out from the map of China and its combat theater commands.
- Although the focus is on the current situation of deepening S.-China antagonism, the introduction to Taiwan’s military situation has also been incorporated into this section.
What the paper says on Taiwan?
- Japan’s Defense Ministry stressed in the paper that, “Stabilizing the situation surrounding Taiwan is important for Japan’s security and the stability of the international community.“
- The paper added, “Therefore, it is necessary that we pay close attention to the situation with a sense of crisis more than ever before.”
- On Wednesday (July 14), Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) welcomed the changes to the white paper by thanking the MOD for
- “Highlighting the importance of ‘stabilizing the situation surrounding Taiwan’ & paying ‘close attention to the situation with a sense of crisis more than ever before.'”
China’s response
- At a press briefing on Tuesday, China Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded to the white paper by complaining that-
- Japan has “grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs, groundlessly blamed China’s normal defense construction and military activity,
- Pointed fingers at China’s maritime activity, and hyped up the so-called China threat, which is wrong and irresponsible.”
Japan Vs china
- The rising tensions in the region—due to China’s belligerence over Taiwan, the control of resources in the South China Sea,
- Asserting ownership rights over Japanese islands and sending its ships into the Exclusive Economic Zones of other countries–is weighing heavily over the Japanese leadership.
- In view of Chinese irritants in the form of frequent flypasts and maritime violations of countries in the region,
- Japan has been urging the US and other European nations to pay more heed to the Indo-Pacific region.
- The Japanese Defence and Foreign Ministers have on separate occasions said that in China’s tensions with Taiwan are a threat to regional peace and may force Japan, along with the US, to intervene militarily if China attacks Taiwan.
- As recently as last week, a Beijing-based magazine had published in detail how China will launch an attack on Taiwan.
- This article came out around the same time as Chinese President for Life Xi Jinping’s speech commemorating the Communist Party of China’s centenary celebrations—raising suspicions about Chinese intentions in the region.
Q) ‘Spartly Island’ in the South China sea are disputed between China and ?
- Malaysia
- Vietnam
- Philippines
- All of these
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