President Joe Biden has told Japan that US security guarantees apply to the Senkaku Islands, sending a warning to China about the features in the East China Sea that are administered by Tokyo but claimed by Beijing.
The White House on Wednesday said that Mr Biden had made clear in his first phone call as president with Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga that the US-Japan mutual defence treaty applied to the disputed islands.
“The leaders . . . discussed the United States’ unwavering commitment to the defence of Japan under Article 5 of our security treaty, which includes the Senkaku,” the White House said. “President Biden reaffirmed to the prime minister his commitment to provide extended deterrence to Japan.”
The statement sends a clear message to China that the new administration will take a strong stand on the islands, which Beijing claims and calls the Diaoyu.
The islands have become one of the big flashpoints in the Asia-Pacific region —…