TOKYO/WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) – The United States and Japan on Friday voiced strong concern about China’s growing might and pledged to work together against attempts to destabilise the region, including against emerging defence threats.

The comments from the two allies, in a joint statement that followed a virtual “two-plus-two” meeting of their foreign and defence ministers, highlight how deepening alarm about China – and increasing tension over Taiwan – have put Japan’s security role in greater focus.

The ministers expressed concerns that China’s efforts “to undermine the rules-based order” presented “political, economic, military and technological challenges to the region and the world,” according to their joint statement.

“They resolved to work together to deter and, if necessary, respond to destabilising activities in the region,” it said.

The ministers also said they had “serious and ongoing concerns” about human rights issues in China’s Xinjiang and Hong Kong regions and underscored the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

In response, China lodged a formal complaint with both countries, a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

While pacifist Japan retains close economic ties to China, there is growing concern in Tokyo about a potential move by Beijing against democratic Taiwan.

“This is clearly a combined message reflecting a common concern, not a case of U.S. arm-twisting to get Japan to sign onto vague euphemisms,” said Daniel Russel, who served as the top U.S. diplomat for Asia under Obama and is now with the Asia Society Policy Institute.

“In particular, the expression of joint resolve to respond if necessary to destabilising activities comes across as a powerful expression of alliance solidarity and determination.”

Before the talks, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the allies planned a new defence collaboration deal to counter emerging threats, including hypersonics and space-based capabilities.

NEW TOOLS

Blinken said the U.S.- Japan alliance “must not only strengthen the tools we have, but also develop new ones”, citing Russia’s military buildup against Ukraine, Beijing’s “provocative” actions over Taiwan and North Korea’s latest missile launch. North Korea fired a “hypersonic missile” this week that successfully hit a target, its state news agency said.

Russia, China and the United States are also racing to build hypersonic weapons whose extreme speed and maneuverability make them hard to spot and block with interceptor missiles.

As its neighbours test hypersonic missiles, Japan has been working on electromagnetic “railgun” technology to target those missiles.

“We need to pursue all available means including cooperation with the United States to strengthen comprehensive missile defence capabilities,” Japan’s defence minister, Nobuo Kishi, told reporters.

Tokyo also explained its plan to revise the national security strategy to fundamentally boost defence capabilities, Foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said after the meeting, adding that it was strongly supported by U.S. counterparts.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in October promised to revise Japan’s security strategy to consider “all options including possession of the so-called enemy-strike capabilities”.

Kishida’s government has approved record defence spending, with a 10th straight annual increase in 2022.

Jeffrey Hornung, a Japanese security policy expert at the Rand Corporation, a U.S.-backed think tank, said while options for Japan to use force are realistically limited, a Taiwan emergency would be one potential scenario that Japan could deem as threatening its survival.

“There is no coded messaging here,” Hornung said.

“China is the challenge and they said as much, then detailed all the ways the alliance is determined to work to counter its destabilising activities.”

Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Dan Whitcomb and Rami Ayyub, Ju-min Park and Kiyoshi Takenaka; additional reportin by Martin Pollard in Beijing; Editing by David Dolan, Richard Pullin & Shri Navaratnam

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