Japan and China Face Off on Asian Security

From the Wall Street Journal (May 29): Japan and China Face Off on Asian Security

China and Japan are expected to set out rival visions for the future of Asia-Pacific security this weekend, as defense ministers and military leaders converge on Singapore for a summit meeting amid heightened tensions over territorial disputes in the East and South China seas.

The Shangri-La Dialogue, which will include speeches by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, is the first major event bringing top U.S., Chinese and other Asian military brass together since China rattled the region in recent weeks by deploying a deep-sea oil-drilling platform in waters claimed by Vietnam.

Hanoi labeled the move as dangerous and provocative, and several other countries have also expressed misgivings over the deployment, which China describes as part of its normal activities within its own sovereign territory.

Mr. Hagel's speech on Saturday is expected to deal directly with the disputes in the South China Sea, threats from North Korea, and yet again attempt to reassure American allies that Washington's commitment to the region is real.

In a briefing aboard a military plane while traveling to Singapore, Mr. Hagel said he would confront Beijing over areas "where the we think China is overplaying its hand" including the maritime disputes and cyber attacks.

"The only way to deal with those differences is to be direct and upfront, " he said. "We will talk about tensions and what is going on in specific terms."

In a curtain-raising speech on Friday night, Mr. Abe is expected to set out what some Japanese media have termed the "Abe Doctrine"--a vision of a Japan that is more proactive in defense affairs, and that works with multinational partners, including the U.S., to bolster regional security and prosperity.

Japan has already foreshadowed this approach by deepening its security relations with Southeast Asian countries during Mr. Abe's tenure.

Mr. Abe is expected to urge the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China to agree on a code of conduct for maritime activities now under negotiation between the two parties, Japanese officials say. The prime minister may also discuss helping Asian nations confronting China to beef up their maritime security capabilities.

Tokyo has already pledged patrol ships to the Philippines and is currently studying a similar plan for Vietnam. In an interview last week, Mr. Abe said he wants to accelerate the process involving Vietnam.

The prime minister's pitch for a more muscular Japan has already won support from allies such as the U.S. and the Philippines, while drawing criticism from China and South Korea, which are wary of seeing the pacifist country remilitarize.

Mr. Abe hopes to win greater international backing for the idea by convincing the assembled defense leaders that Japan remains committed to peace as it seeks to increase its ability to support that peace, in particular by revising the interpretation of its pacifist constitution.

He is also expected to deliver a bruising critique of Beijing's handling of its territorial disputes, following a near-miss between Chinese and Japanese military aircraft last weekend near disputed islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

China's Ministry of Defense confirmed on Thursday that its delegation, led by Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong, the Chinese military's deputy chief of general staff, would update the Dialogue on President Xi Jinping's "new Asian security concept," a regional security approach that rivals the one Mr. Abe envisions.

Mr. Xi's concept emphasizes Asian countries solving Asian problems--potentially cutting out the U.S.--while Mr. Abe's proposed framework is "more inclusive" and seeks to draw in partners from outside Asia, said Tim Huxley, executive director of the International Institute of Strategic Studies-Asia, a think tank and the organizer of the event.

The state-run China Daily has described the summit as a "face-off" between Beijing and Tokyo.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will also address the summit, which provides an annual platform for world leaders to mull over Asia's security challenges.

U.S. officials have been at pains recently to reassure its allies in Asia that it will continue playing a leading role in guaranteeing regional security, underscored by the Obama administration's "pivot" strategy of redirecting more military, diplomatic and economic assets to the Asian-Pacific region.

While noting that China's delegation wasn't as high-level as it has been in the past, Mr. Huxley said that Fu Ying, who chairs China's foreign affairs committee, would be part of Beijing's team in attendance. Ms. Fu, a former vice minister for foreign affairs, has a tough-talking reputation and is expected to deliver a robust defense of China's position.

The summit is also expected to address regional headaches ranging from the recent coup in Thailand to North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Still, "the overarching theme will be the evolving regional balance--how the region relates to a China that is increasingly combative and assertive," Mr. Huxley said.

China is likely to face pushback not only from Japan, but also from other territorial rivals, notably Vietnam and the Philippines.

Sino-Philippine ties have been in the deep freeze ever since Manila launched an arbitration case at the U.N. earlier this year to challenge what it regards as Beijing's illegal claims to almost the entire South China Sea.

The Chinese government has refused to participate in the proceedings at The Hague.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20140529-712657.html