Clinton to China, "STOP IT"

"China and Japan are sliding towards war", wrote the Economist magazine on 19 January.

"China and Japan are sliding towards war", wrote the Economist magazine on 19 January. So it was a very good idea for new Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida to meet with Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, on 18 January.

Over recent weeks and months, China has been acting in an increasingly provocative way towards to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, by sending boats and planes into and close to this Japanese administered territory.

The US, which clearly does not to go to war over a bunch of rocks in the East China Sea, had been very restrained in its reactions, urging both sides to calm down.

But at her meeting with Foreign Minister Kishida, Hilary Clinton sharpened her message one good notch in "oppos(ing) any unilateral actions that would seek to undermine Japanese administration (of the islands)" and "urg(ing) all parties to take steps to prevent incidents and manage disagreements through peaceful means."

This is a clear message from the US to China to stop its provocative actions, and to engage in dialogue and consultation with Japan.

We can only hope that China will heed this warning. But it may be difficult in terms of internal politics and psychology for it to back down.

As The Economist also said, "Armed clashes over trivial specks in the East China Sea loom closer". We all stand to lose if this ends in armed conflict.

The Senkaku/Diaoyu are a group of tiny islets and rock outcroppings near Taiwan, which are administered by Japan. The US/Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of American engagement in the Asian region, and obliges the US to respond to any attack on Japan or its territory. And the US has made clear that its obligation would cover the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.

Quotes from Hilary Clinton:

"With regard to regional security, I reiterated longstanding American policy on the Senkaku Islands and our treaty obligations. As I’ve said many times before, although the United States does not take a position on the ultimate sovereignty of the islands, we acknowledge they are under the administration of Japan and we oppose any unilateral actions that would seek to undermine Japanese administration and we urge all parties to take steps to prevent incidents and manage disagreements through peaceful means."

"And I reiterated, as I have to our Chinese friends, that we want to see China and Japan resolve this matter peacefully through dialogue, and we applaud the early steps taken by Prime Minister Abe’s government to reach out and begin discussions. We want to see the new leaders, both in Japan and in China, get off to a good start with each other in the interest of the security of the entire region."

"And we have also, as I said earlier, made clear that we do not want to see any action taken by anyone that could raise tensions or result in miscalculations that would undermine the peace, security, and economic growth in this region. So certainly, we are hopeful that there can be an ongoing consultation that will lower tensions, prevent escalation, and permit China and Japan to discuss the range of other issues on which they have important concerns."