Brisbane (Australia) (AFP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on
Friday he wanted deeper defence ties with the United States and
Australia to ensure peace throughout the Asia-Pacific region, in remarks
likely to irk Beijing.
Abe outlined his vision for expanded military cooperation ahead of
this weekend's Group of 20 leaders' summit, which is being hosted in
Brisbane by Japan's "best friend" Australia." As the
United States is the most important ally for Japan and Australia, I am
determined to expand trilateral cooperation between the three countries,
to realise a peaceful, secure and prosperous future for the
Asia-Pacific region," he said in an op-ed article for the Australian
Financial Review.
"I also hope that our countries will work closely together to support the resolution of global issues.". Abe
is expected to take part in a three-way meeting with Australian Prime
Minister Tony Abbott and US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of
the G20 summit.
The prospect o
f a stronger
tripartite alliance could stoke fears in Beijing that Japan, the United
States and Australia are ganging up to limit China's increasingly
assertive expansion in the region. China claims
rights over Tokyo-administered islands in the East China Sea, with
several other countries in the region also at loggerheads with Beijing
over territorial disputes.
Beijing has repeatedly
warned of what it says is the danger of Japan "remilitarising" under
Abe, and regularly lambasts Tokyo for its apparent lack of repentance
for past misdeeds. Abe visited Australia in July and
became the first Japanese leader to address the national parliament in
Canberra, also sealing a deal on the sharing of defence technology
during the trip.
Abbott has denied closer defence ties with Japan will damage relations with China, his country's biggest trading partner.
Chinese
President Xi Jinping told the Financial Review that Beijing was also
ready to increase defence cooperation with Australia,
"The
Chinese side stands ready to work with the Australian side to
strengthen communication and coordination in international and regional
mechanisms and deal with traditional and non-traditional security issues
of all kinds to jointly safeguard and promote peace and prosperity in
the Asia-Pacific and beyond," he wrote.
