Concerns over mention of “US-China joint struggle” in US-China summit fact sheet

[Washington Current Affairs] On the 25th, the US White House released a fact sheet regarding the content of the agreement between the US and China summit. "The leaders of the United States and China recalled that the United States and China were allies in World War II and fought together to win the war."

On the 24th, during a welcoming ceremony for Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House, President Trump caused a stir by saying that the United States and China fought together as "allies." The inclusion of similar claims in government documents is bound to deepen concerns.

Meanwhile, the fact sheet notes, "Since World War II, forward-deployed military presence has maintained a free and open Indo-Pacific and contributed to the prosperity of the United States." By justifying the presence of U.S. forces in Japan, it is possible that they were showing consideration for Japan while showing a conciliatory attitude towards China.

At a dinner party on the 24th, Mr. Xi said, ``The peoples of both China and America fought against the Japanese militaristic invaders.'' A former senior U.S. government official analyzed this as, ``This is a typical example of China's desire to assert that there is a history of cooperation between the United States and China.'' Mr. Trump, who wants to promote the friendship between the United States and China, responded to this move.

A former senior official explained, ``China intends to separate Japan and the United States, and wants to upset Japan over historical issues.'' He emphasized that ``they were successful because they aroused controversy'' by insisting on a joint struggle between the United States and China and criticizing Japan.

It was the Republic of China army led by Chiang Kai-shek that fought as part of the United States and the Allied Powers in World War II, not the Communist Party army of Mao Zedong, who founded the People's Republic of China. With the United States' recognition of the ``US-China joint struggle'' in the war, there are likely to be growing concerns that the United States is pandering to China's historical views.