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US approves amendment
backing Japanese claims
DISPUTE: The US Senate reaffirmed the US¡¦
commitment to Japan in its territorial fight with China and said that an armed
attack would be met in accordance with their treaty
AFP, WASHINGTON
The US Senate has unanimously approved an amendment that reaffirms the US
commitment to Japan in its territorial dispute with China over the Diaoyutai
Islands (³¨³½¥x), known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands
(³¨³½®q) in China, and which Taiwan also claims, as Washington tries to counter any
attempt by Beijing to challenge Japan¡¦s administration of the archipelago.
The measure was attached on Thursday to the National Defense Authorization Bill
for Fiscal Year 2013 still being debated in the Senate.
The amendment says that while the US ¡§takes no position¡¨ on the ultimate
sovereignty of the territory, it ¡§acknowledges the administration of Japan over
the Senkaku Islands.¡¨
It further adds that ¡§unilateral actions of a third party will not affect United
States acknowledgement of the administration of Japan over the Senkaku Islands.¡¨
The legislation reaffirms the US¡¦ commitment to Japan under the Treaty of Mutual
Cooperation and Security and warns that an armed attack against either party ¡§in
the territories under the administration of Japan¡¨ would be met in accordance
with its provisions.
The amendment also noted US opposition to any efforts to coerce, threaten to use
force, or use force to resolve territorial issues.
The Senate reiterated the US national interest in freedom of navigation, peace
and stability, respect for international law and unimpeded lawful commerce in
the region.
¡§This amendment is a strong statement of support for a vital ally in Pacific
Asia,¡¨ US Senator Jim Webb said in a statement.
It ¡§unequivocally states that the United States acknowledges the administration
of Japan over the Senkaku Islands, and that this position will not be changed
through threats, coercion, or military action,¡¨ the Democratic senator added.
In Taiwan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Steve Hsia (®L©u©÷) yesterday said
the ministry did not see any change in the US¡¦ position on the dispute over the
islands because the US has repeatedly said it takes no position on sovereignty
of the region.
The statement by the US that the Diaoyutai Islands were covered by the US-Japan
security treaty was mainly ¡§out of concern over the needs to maintain regional
security¡¨ and ¡§was irrelevant to which country owns the sovereignty of the
region,¡¨ Hsia said.
Hsia said the move by the US Senate was a repeat of the US position.
It is an undisputable fact that the Diaoyutai Islands are inherent territory of
the Republic of China, Taiwan¡¦s adjacent islets and traditional fishing grounds
of the nation¡¦s fishermen, Hsia said, adding that the passage of the bill in the
US Senate can in no way change the facts.
The sovereignty of the islands has been a source of friction for decades, but
the Japanese-Chinese row erupted earlier this year after the nationalist
governor of Tokyo said he wanted to buy them for the city, forcing the Japanese
government to buy three of the uninhabited islets.
Chinese vessels have been spotted in and around the territorial waters every day
for the last month.
Both sides have publicly refused to back down on their respective claims to the
Japan-controlled islands.
National pride as well as potential mineral reserves are at stake in the
decades-old dispute, which has hit the huge trade relationship between the
world¡¦s second and third-largest economies.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
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