“The United States stands by its commitments, and we stand with our allies, the South Korean people,” Mattis told South Korean Defense Minister Han Min Koo. Mattis also stated that the U.S. will continue to recognize Japanese administration of the Senakaku (Diaoyu) Islands, a collection of uninhabited territories in the contested East China Sea claimed by China but administered by Japan. Not only is China opposed to the alliance-based security structure, which it perceives as an external threat, but it also objects to plans put forward by the U.S. and South Korea to deploy THAAD and U.S. involvement in regional territorial disputes.