- It's ‘important’ that Trump chose Japan as 1st destination for bilateral visit during his Asia trip to ‘consolidate relationship’ with Tokyo, expert tells Anadolu
ISTANBUL
China on Tuesday urged Japan to “earnestly respect” the security concerns of its neighbors as Tokyo pledged to reinforce its defense capabilities.
“The Asia-Pacific region is a highland for peaceful development,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing after US President Donald Trump held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo.
He said the US and Japan should "contribute to regional peace and stability when developing bilateral relations and conducting security cooperation, not the opposite."
Trump has been on a three-day trip to Japan since Monday.
“Due to Japan’s history of militarist aggression in modern times, its military and security moves have long been closely watched by neighboring Asian countries and the international community,” he noted.
Guo called on Japan to “deeply reflect on its past actions, adhere to the path of peaceful development, and earn the trust of Asian countries through concrete actions."
Meeting Takaichi, Trump said that US-Japan relations will reach an unprecedented level of strength.
Later, addressing US-Japan troops aboard nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington at the Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo, Takaichi pledged to take Japan’s “greatest” alliance to “even greater, greater heights."
In an “unprecedented, severe security environment,” she said Tokyo will “fundamentally reinforce its defense capabilities” with “unwavering determination and action.”
In her first policy speech after being elected last week, Takaichi pledged Japan will boost its defense spending to around 2% of its GDP, two years earlier than its previous targets.
Under a mutual defense treaty, the US has more than 50,000 soldiers deployed in Japan, besides arms, weaponry, and military bases.
Trump’s visit to Japan ahead of summit with China’s Xi
Trump’s trip to Japan is part of the US president’s three-nation tour of Asia, the first since his return to the White House for a second term.
After attending the summit of Southeast Asian nations in Malaysia, Trump flew to Japan, from where he will fly to South Korea on Wednesday.
Trump will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, according to the White House.
“It is extremely important (for Takaichi) to meet Trump before he meets Xi. It is also important that Trump chose Japan, before South Korea and other places, as the first destination as bilateral trip in Asia. Trump wanted to consolidate the relationship with Japan and make sure that Japan will stay as an indispensable partner,” Japanese academic Kazuto Suzuki told Anadolu.
Trump has become the first foreign leader to visit Japan since Takaichi was elected last week.
Suzuki said Tokyo and Washington have many issues, including the implementation of the tariff agreement under which Japanese imports into the US will face 15% additional levies.
It “is probably the most important, but the real issue is whether President Trump will make a big deal with China,” said Suzuki, professor at the University of Tokyo.
He said Takaichi's appointment of Ryosuke Akazawa, the chief negotiator of the tariff negotiations with the US, as the minister for economy, trade and industry “is a message that she will carry the promises” that were made during the time of her predecessor Shigeru Ishiba.
Takaichi “is thought to be a China hawk, but as an heir of Abe diplomacy, she will be flexible against China. So, it is important for her to be on the same page with Mr. Trump,” he added.
Takaichi is known as a protege of Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, known for his hawkish security stance in Asia.