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US, Japan defence chiefs to talk China tensions at meet in Guam
- US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper and his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono are expected to discuss Beijing’s maritime assertiveness at their meeting
- Regional missile defence will also be on the agenda at the talk, which follows a series of confrontations between the US and China in the South China Sea
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US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper is set to meet his Japanese counterpart in Guam on Saturday amid escalating US-China tensions in the Indo-Pacific, capping a trip that included a historic visit to the tiny Pacific nation of Palau.
Esper and Japan’s Defence Minister Taro Kono are expected to discuss Beijing’s growing maritime assertiveness when they meet on the US island territory, following a series of recent confrontations between the United States and China in the South China Sea.
Kono, who is tipped as a possible successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe following his shock resignation on Friday, said ahead of his departure that the talks would include discussion of regional missile defence, in the wake of Tokyo’s U-turn earlier this year on deploying the US’ Aegis Ashore missile defence system.
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The system could now be deployed by 2026 on Guam – home to a naval and air force base hosting thousands of US troops – according to the US Indo-Pacific Command. Kono’s trip comes after Abe on Thursday met the head of the US Space Force, John Raymond, in Tokyo for talks on greater defence cooperation in space.
Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, an adjunct fellow at the Pacific Forum foreign policy research institute and visiting professor at South Korea’s Pusan National University, said the “China factor” would dominate talks.
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Hong Kong-based warship joins drill in South China Sea
Hong Kong-based warship joins drill in South China Sea
“Discussions on the Japan-US alliance are critical particularly regarding ballistic missile defence after Japan’s shelving of the Aegis-ashore programme, and also to work out details of the alliance strategy including the new domains such as space, cyberspace and electromagnetic spectrum,” said Hinata-Yamaguchi.
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