President Donald Trump on Friday renewed US security guarantees to Japan over islands in the East China Sea with which it has a territorial dispute with Beijing.
Trump delivered the undertaking during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House.
“We are committed to the security of Japan and all areas under its administrative control,” Trump said in the East Room of the White House.
Before their joint appearance in the East Room, the two leaders held Oval Office talks expected to focus on the restive security situation in Northeast Asia as China flexes its territorial muscles and North Korea pursues its nuclear and ballistic missile program. They were also discussing the US-Japan alliance, the bedrock of American power projection in Asia about which Trump made uncomplimentary comments during his campaign.
The President is likely to face questions during the news conference on how his administration will respond to a federal appeals court’s refusal to lift a freeze on his immigration ban and reports that his national security adviser Michael Flynn spoke about sanctions with the Russian ambassador to Washington before taking office in a way that could have undercut the previous Obama administration and at the very least infringed protocol.
Trump may also be asked to explain why he reaffirmed the “One China” policy governing relations with Taiwan during a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping after previously saying he could use the issue as leverage to acquire concessions from Beijing in trade talks.
