United States concerned over the sea border conflict between Japan and China. In addition, the U.S. still wants to be a major force in the Asia-Pacific.
According to U.S. Foreign Minister, Hillary Clinton, when speak at the East Asia Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, Saturday, October 30, 2010. Summit was also attended by the leaders of China and Japan who were disputing in recent months.
“The U.S. has a national interest in freedom of navigation and commerce that governed by law,” as said by Clinton quoted from Associated Press. “When problems arise in the maritime area, we are committed to resolve it with peaceful under international law which have been established,” continued Clinton.
This statement clearly offense maritime dispute between China and Japan, which occurred in a long time. The problem was re-erupted at the beginning of September and Japan detained ship captain from China in waters near disputed island between the two countries. Japanese call Senkaku, while China’s call it Diaoyu.
Although tension was flexing, China and Japan still not willing to compromise. Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, abruptly canceled face meeting with Foreign Minister of Japan Seiji Maehara on the sidelines of ASEAN Summit 3 in Hanoi on Friday. China apparently is still upset with the attitude of Japan for the incident early September although Tokyo had released the ship’s captain after being arrested a few days.
Representing the U.S. as an ally of Japan, Clinton implicitly stated that China should never use economic and military influence to intimidate its neighbors. However, the U.S. also praised China because they have taken some steps to consult with its neighbors in formulating a mechanism for dispute resolution.
Meanwhile, Clinton also said that the U.S. will not relax the role as the dominant power in Asia-Pacific. She said, “We will continue to give effect on the level of bilateral relations and continue to expand partnerships with many countries,”.
