Japan's Suga: "Intend to Build Stable Relations with Neighboring Countries Including China"

Emphasizing Strengthening the US-Japan Alliance

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga
Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga stated that he intends to build stable relations with neighboring countries, including China, NHK reported on the 9th.

According to the report, Prime Minister Suga said in a video message sent to an online conference hosted by a U.S. research firm, "Japan plans to strategically promote a free and open Indo-Pacific in cooperation with countries that share fundamental values, while also building stable relations with several close neighbors, including China."

The free and open Indo-Pacific strategy is an initiative to secure the international order based on rules such as the "rule of law," promoting freedom of navigation and peaceful resolution of disputes. It is effectively used as a slogan to check China's military movements in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

Prime Minister Suga also emphasized strengthening the Japan-U.S. alliance, the cornerstone of Japan's diplomatic and security policy, and predicted that the international situation in the era of COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 could become "more unpredictable and difficult to control than ever before, alongside nationalism and U.S.-China confrontation."

Suga's remarks are interpreted as a signal to check China's moves while avoiding accidental clashes or escalation of conflicts, and to expand cooperation in economic fields and others.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.