Alliance told not to undermine others' interests

The Japan-US alliance should maintain its bilateral nature rather than expand to undermine any third party's interests, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Wednesday.

Hong made the remarks when asked about the ongoing revision of defense cooperation guidelines by Japan and the United States.

"The Japan-US alliance is a bilateral arrangement made under special historical conditions," he said. "It should not go beyond its bilateral scope or undermine third parties' interests, including China's.

"We will closely follow the revision of the Japan-US defense cooperation guidelines."

An interim report released on Wednesday said the US and Japan are pursuing a wider partnership that requires "enhanced capabilities and greater shared responsibilities".

The revision, the first since 1997, comes at a time of heightened Japan-China tensions over islands claimed by both countries in the East China Sea, as well as continuing concern about Pyongyang's missile and nuclear weapons development.

Koji Kano, a Japanese Defense Ministry official in the Japan-US cooperation division, said earlier this week: "What we need to address today is quite different from what we were aiming for in 1997.

"The point is how Japan and the US can respond better in the current environment."

In July, in a historic shift in Japan's post-World War II defense policy, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet approved a new interpretation of Japan's Pacifist Constitution. The reinterpretation allows the military to defend the US and other allies under what is known as collective self-defense.

Japan also adopted defense guidelines in December that make southern island defense a priority, notably the Diaoyu Islands.

The interim report stresses the importance of "seamless" coordination between Japan and the US to ensure a swift response to a range of contingencies, including ones that fall short of an actual military attack.

Xinhua - AP

(China Daily 10/09/2014 page11)