Former Prime Minister Abe says Japan and the US could not hold back if China attacked Taiwan

By the hand of Ben Blanchard

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Japan and the United States would not be there if China attacked Taiwan, and Beijing needs to understand that, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday.

Tensions over Taiwan, which China claims, have risen because President Xi Jinping wants to assert his country’s sovereignty claims against a democratically governed island. The Taiwanese government says it wants peace, but will defend it if necessary.

Speaking virtually at a forum organized by the Taiwanese think tank at the National Policy Research Institute, Abe noted that the Senkaku Islands – which China calls the Diaoyu Islands – are Sakishima Islands and Yonaguni Islands 100 kilometers (62 miles) or less from Taiwan.

An armed invasion of Taiwan would pose a serious risk to Japan, he added.

“An emergency in Taiwan is an emergency in Japan, and therefore an emergency for the alliance between Japan and the US. The people of Beijing, especially President Xi Jinping, should never be misunderstood in recognizing this,” Abek said.

There are major U.S. military bases in Japan, including the southern island of Okinawa, a short flight from Taiwan, which would be key to U.S. aid in an attack on China.

The United States is required by law to provide Taiwan with the resources to defend itself, although there is ambiguity as to whether it will send forces to help Taiwan in the war with China.

The United States and its allies would take unspecified “action” if https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-taiwan-idAFKBN2HV2PU China would use force to change the situation in Taiwan, the U.S. secretary of state said. State President Antony Blinken said last month.

Abe, who resigned as prime minister last year, is the leader of the largest faction of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and continues to have a strong influence within the party.

On Sino-Japanese relations, Abe said Japan should advance its relations with China by saying firmly what it needs to say to its giant neighbor, echoing current Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

“Japan, Taiwan and all those who believe in democracy must continue to urge President Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Chinese Communist Party not to go the wrong way again and again,” Abek said.

Japan and Taiwan must work together to protect freedom and democracy, Abek added, Cheng Wen-tsan, mayor of Taoyuan city in northern Taiwan, speaking to audiences nominated as candidates for the future presidency.

“A stronger Taiwan, a prosperous Taiwan and a Taiwan that guarantees freedom and human rights are also in the interests of Japan. Of course, that is also in the interest of the whole world,” Abek said.