New Delhi/Tokyo/Washington, Mar 16 (UNI) The United States and Japan after security talks in Tokyo on Tuesday reaffirmed the vital importance of their alliance to promoting peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
The two countries in a joint statement said their alliance remained the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in Indo-Pacific region and highlighted importance of cooperating on new domains, including space and cyber.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austinmet held the so-called two-plus-two talks, the first of its kind since April 2019, with their Japanese counterparts Toshimitsu Motegi and Nobuo Kishi in Tokyo and said their alliance remained the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity in Indo-Pacific region.
The US and Japan reiterated their objections to "China's unlawful maritime claims and activities in the South China Sea," the statement said.
The two countries pledged to further discuss ways to deepen coordination on the shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
"Over the past few years, the world situation has changed greatly. The strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific in particular is in a totally different dimension. There has been a change in the power balance as not only military strength but also economic development and high-tech advancements have exerted an influence on the power situation. The free and open international order is faced with major challenges, such as unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force and the expansion of authoritarianism," said Motegi.
They expressed "serious concerns" about a Chinese law that took effect recently enabling its coast guard ships to fire on vessels around the Beijing-claimed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
They also highlighted importance of cooperating on new domains, including space and cyber security.
The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearisation of North Korea and committed to expanding opportunities for US-Japan-South Korea trilateral cooperation to address the challenges of today and the future.
They also condemned the coup and use of violence in Myanmar, expressed concern over the expansion of authoritarian and aggressive actions by China, and agreed to strengthen like-minded coordination across these issues, said a State Department statement.
The two sides also reaffirmed their commitment to denuclearization of North Korea and committed to expanding opportunities for US-Japan-South Korea trilateral cooperation to address the challenges of today and the future, Price said.
In the two-plus-two talks, the ministers also shared "serious concerns" regarding the human rights situation in Hong Kong and China's far-western Xinjiang region, where the Muslim Uyghur minority lives.
Blinken and Austin also met Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
Blinken and Austin will travel to Seoul on Wednesday for talks with their South Korean counterparts.
Following the two-nation Asian tour, Blinken is scheduled to meet with Yang Jiechi, a member of the Communist Party of China's Political Bureau and the country's top foreign policy official, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Alaska on Thursday.
The Alaska meeting will be the first in-person contact between senior officials of the two countries since the Biden administration took office.
UNI SRJ JW1848