Tokyo expected stronger US support after Beijing retaliated over Taiwan comments, but analysts say Washington has held back
5-MIN READ5-MIN ListenMark Magnierin New YorkandDewey Simin WashingtonPublished: 4:03am, 2 Jul 2026Updated: 4:25am, 2 Jul 2026Beijing’s move this week to add 20 more Japanese entities to its export-control list is the latest chapter in a complex US-Japan-China geopolitical triangle.Over the past seven months, an angry China has punished Tokyo repeatedly. A miffed Japan is left feeling betrayed. And a war-distracted Washington has struggled to navigate between the two, adding further tension in a region already on tenterhooks, according to analysts and former US government officials.
“If it involves the use of warships and military actions, it could by all means become a survival-threatening situation,” the hardline politician told Japanese lawmakers in November, refusing to back down.
While Beijing’s angry response involving a core “red line” was predictable, perhaps less so was the seam it opened between Washington and Tokyo amid tepid support from Washington and little willingness to stand up for its treaty ally.
Analysts said this is as much about US President Donald Trump’s personality and world view as it is US strategic calculations.
