U.S. Relations With the People's Republic of China (2008)

U.S. Department of State

U.S.-Japan Relations: Partnership and Progress

Alexander A. Arvizu, Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Statement Before the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
Washington, DC
June 12, 2008

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Global Partnership Issues

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Our cooperation extends beyond security. We stand together at the forefront of efforts to help countries in the wake of devastating natural disasters, including the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, the Pakistan earthquake in October 2005, the Central Java earthquake in 2006, and mostly recently, the cyclone in Burma and earthquake in western China. In the wake of Cyclone Nargis, Japan joined the United States in offering assistance and in advocating for greater access for international aid experts to conduct independent assessments and to help assistance reach those in need as quickly and effectively as possible. Japan has provided $10 million in humanitarian assistance, and joined the international community in calling for the Burmese authorities to be fully transparent and accountable in their management of relief efforts. Japan's material assistance to China in the wake of the Sichuan earthquake has so far totaled $12 million. In addition, close to 100 Japanese rescue workers and medical specialists have been dispatched.

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