Japan will work with US for Taiwan peace, top spokesman says

By Yukiko Toyoda

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will continue to work with the United States for peace on the Taiwan Strait regardless of who is in the White House after the November presidential election, Japan's top government spokesperson told Reuters in an exclusive interview.

The comments come after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said Taiwan should pay the U.S. for its defence, raising concerns over American support for the island nation should the former president be reelected.

"Peace and stability (in the Taiwan Strait) is hugely important not just for our own security but for the entire international community," Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said in response to a question on whether a Trump presidency would have an impact on the U.S. commitment in the Indo-Pacific.

Given the U.S. and Japan both believe in the importance of resolving cross-strait issues peacefully, "we will continue these diplomatic efforts. It is important to reinforce the common ground we have as allies," he added.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take it.

The U.S. does not have a formal defence agreement with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to protect itself.

That current arrangement appears to be a source of dissatisfaction for Trump, who has said "Taiwan doesn't give us anything."

His running mate J.D. Vance also dropped hints last week on what a potential Republican presidency's policy in the Indo-Pacific may look like, calling China the "biggest threat" facing the United States. Trump sparked concerns earlier this year that there could be another trade war between China and the U.S. after threatening to impose a 60% tariff on Chinese imports.

Hayashi refrained from commenting on the threat of such tariffs, but reiterated the need for continued dialogue with China and said preparations for a foreign minister meeting were underway.

"I understand that there are preparations being made for a Japan-China foreign minister meeting. It's important to communicate clearly with one another on various levels," he said.

(Reporting by Yukiko Toyoda and Kentaro Sugiyama, additional reporting by Kantaro Komiya and Makiko Yamazaki; Writing by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Sharon Singleton)