Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: Japan And US Can't Stay Silent If China Attacks Taiwan

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Wikimedia Commons/Chatham House)

JAKARTA - Japan and the United States cannot stand idly by if China attacks Taiwan and Beijing needs to understand this, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday.

Tensions over Chinese-claimed Taiwan have risen as President Xi Jinping seeks to assert his country's claim to sovereignty over the democratically-ruled island. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese government says it wants peace, but will defend itself if necessary.

Speaking virtually at a forum hosted by the Taiwanese think tank Institute for National Policy Research, Abe noted Senkaku Island - what China calls the Diaoyu Islands - Sakishima Island and Yonaguni Island are only about 100 km (62 miles) from Taiwan.

Abe said an armed Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be a great danger to Japan.

"Taiwan's state of emergency is Japan's emergency, and therefore a state of emergency for the Japan-US alliance. People in Beijing, especially President Xi Jinping, should never misunderstand this in admitting this," Abe said, citing Reuters on December 1.

Japan is host to major US military bases, including on the southern island of Okinawa, a short flight from Taiwan, which would be crucial to US support in the event of a Chinese attack.

The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, although there is ambiguity about whether it will send troops to assist Taiwan in its war with China.

Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States and its allies would take unspecified "action" if China used force to change the status quo over Taiwan.

Abe, who stepped down as prime minister last year, is head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's largest faction and remains influential within the party.

On Beijing-Tokyo relations going forward, Abe said Japan should advance its relations with China while firmly telling its giant neighbor what needs to be said, echoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

"Japan, Taiwan, and all those who believe in a democracy need to continue to urge President Xi Jinping and other leaders of the Chinese Communist Party repeatedly, not to step down the wrong path," Abe said.

Japan and Taiwan should work together to protect freedom and democracy, Abe added, speaking to an audience that included Cheng Wen-tsan, mayor of the northern Taiwanese city of Taoyuan, who is tipped to be a future presidential candidate.

"A stronger Taiwan, a developing Taiwan, and a Taiwan that guarantees freedom and human rights are also in Japan's interest. Of course, this is also in the interests of the whole world," Abe concluded.