海角大神

Domestic issues like immigration, gun violence, and looming across-the-board spending cuts may top President Obama鈥檚 second-term agenda. But he hasn鈥檛 forgotten his vision of rebalancing US security and economic priorities towards Asia 鈥� a priority he sought to re-emphasize by receiving Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House Friday for lunch and talks.

Following a morning meeting with Democratic governors, Mr. Obama greeted Mr. Abe for discussions focused on East Asia鈥檚 security challenges and expanding economic opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region 鈥� what White House officials describe as the two principle focal points of the pivot to Asia Obama announced at the outset of his presidency.

On the security agenda, the two leaders discussed the international community鈥檚 response to North Korea鈥檚 third nuclear test last month, and the maritime disputes in the East China Sea and South China Sea that have led to increasingly tense relations between China and several of its neighbors 鈥� including Japan.

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At a brief picture-taking session with reporters before lunch, Obama fielded several questions on prospects for avoiding 鈥渟equestration,鈥� or the automatic federal spending cuts set to take effect March 1. Abe answered a query about North Korea, saying, 鈥淲e just cannot tolerate the actions of North Korea, such as launching missiles and conducting nuclear tests,鈥� Saying he and Obama 鈥渁greed we would cooperate with one another and deal resolutely鈥� with Pyongyang, Abe specifically cited the possibility of stiffer 鈥渇inancial sanctions.鈥�

On the regional economy, conversation focused on Japan鈥檚 interest in joining a trade pact called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) currently being negotiated among the US and 10 other Asia-Pacific countries.

In a joint statement issued after the two leaders鈥� talks, the two governments agreed that 鈥渕ore work needs to be done鈥� before Japan could be included in the 11-country negotiations. The statement says that in particular Japan would have to address 鈥渃oncerns鈥� over its tightly protected automotive and insurance sectors, although it also says Japan would not be required to 鈥渕ake a prior commitment to unilaterally eliminate all tariffs鈥� in order to join the talks 鈥� something that had been a sticking point for Abe.聽

The US says it would like to welcome Japan into the talks for the TPP 鈥� which the US envisions as a template for 21st-century international trade and investment agreements 鈥� but it says Japan would first have to open its auto and food markets to more imports.

The TPP 鈥渋s intended to be a comprehensive, ambitious, high-standard, 21st-century trade agreement,鈥� says White House deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs Mike Froman. 鈥淎nybody who joins TPP would be expected to sign on to that goal.鈥�

But Abe has said that a pre-requisite to cut tariffs would be a TPP deal breaker for Japan. Currently 4 percent of the automobiles sold in Japan are imports, for example, while Japan鈥檚 powerful rice farmers reject opening up to more imports.

A diplomatic flap between Japan and China over words attributed to Abe in an interview before leaving Japan for the US served as a backdrop to the Obama-Abe discussion of the rising territorial disputes in the region.

Abe was quoted in the Washington Post Thursday as having said in a Tokyo interview with the US newspaper that the Chinese government has a 鈥渄eeply ingrained need鈥� to spar with Japan and other Asian neighbors as a way to kindle nationalist sentiments at home and to keep the public鈥檚 support.

China quickly blasted the comment and demanded an explanation, calling it 鈥渞are that a country鈥檚 leader brazenly distorts facts, attacks its neighbor and instigates antagonism between regional countries.

With Abe in Washington, Japanese officials in Tokyo sought to clarify the remarks, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga stating, 鈥淭here is no comment made by the prime minister as saying that China wants to clash鈥�with other countries.鈥� Instead, Mr. Suga said that Abe had made the point that Japan values 鈥渕utually beneficial relations with China based on strategic interests.鈥澛�

In the interview (a transcript of which the newspaper has on its website) Abe says China acts 鈥渂y coercion or intimidation鈥� towards Japan and other neighbors on the territorial issues, and then answers another question on the 鈥渕aritime issue鈥� with, 鈥淲hat is important, first of all, is that their leaders as well as business leaders recognize how deeply engrained this issue is.鈥�

The US, which has a bilateral defense treaty with Japan, has said the treaty does apply in the case of the Senkaku islets in the East China Sea, uninhabited outcroppings that Japan administers but which China claims and calls the Diaoyu. But the US also considers the dispute a bilateral sovereignty issue that the two countries should work out peacefully and diplomatically.

Some US-Japan analysts in Washington say the US stance is not strong enough in the face of an increasingly assertive China, and are looking for Obama to use Abe鈥檚 visit as an opportunity to bolster support for America鈥檚 partners in the region facing an aggressive regional giant.

鈥淲ashington鈥檚 message should be more pointed at countering Beijing鈥檚 actions,鈥� says Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.

Abe, who only took office in December, was quick to reverse a 12-year trend and increase Japan鈥檚 defense spending, Mr. Klingner notes, and is moving to weaken restrictions on collective defense measures inscribed in Japan鈥檚 postwar constitution. Obama should acknowledge what is a positive move in the eyes of the US by expressing strong public support for the US-Japan security alliance, a move he says would resonate across the vast region Obama wants to make America鈥檚 21st century priority. 聽

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