The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is in Japan after a five-day visit to China. And to US troops stationed in Japan, his message was clear.
[General Martin Dempsey, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]:
"Would we trade off our relationship with Japan in order to have a stronger relationship with China? The answer is 'No (second soundbite) and that's the point I made to the Chinese.
The US is seeking to strengthen ties with China, one of the largest powers in the Asia Pacific region. But along with pledges from both sides to deepen cooperation on issues like trade and North Korea, are underlying tensions and competing interests in the region.
The Chinese regime and Japan have been locked in a territorial dispute over a string of islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China. According to a post-World War II treaty with the US, the islands are under Japanese control. But tempers have flared on both sides, with neither Japan nor China backing down.
"And that's the point I made to the Chinese: 'Look. I do want a better relationship with you, but don't make this an either-or for the United States."
A security treaty with the US commits the United States to aiding Japan in the event of an attack. And with the US military pivot to the region, conflict of interests between the US and China will most certainly rise.
US Will Not Forsake Japan for China --NTDTV.org
[General Martin Dempsey, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff]:
"Would we trade off our relationship with Japan in order to have a stronger relationship with China? The answer is 'No (second soundbite) and that's the point I made to the Chinese.
The US is seeking to strengthen ties with China, one of the largest powers in the Asia Pacific region. But along with pledges from both sides to deepen cooperation on issues like trade and North Korea, are underlying tensions and competing interests in the region.
The Chinese regime and Japan have been locked in a territorial dispute over a string of islands in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku islands in Japan and the Diaoyu Islands in China. According to a post-World War II treaty with the US, the islands are under Japanese control. But tempers have flared on both sides, with neither Japan nor China backing down.
"And that's the point I made to the Chinese: 'Look. I do want a better relationship with you, but don't make this an either-or for the United States."
A security treaty with the US commits the United States to aiding Japan in the event of an attack. And with the US military pivot to the region, conflict of interests between the US and China will most certainly rise.
US Will Not Forsake Japan for China --NTDTV.org
