Tokyo, 13 January 2023 (GNP): The Chinese government has expressed its concern over the new accelerated cooperation between Tokyo and Washington in the defense field. This will create more tension and stress in south-east Asia, said Beijing in its response to this enhancement of the cooperation between two countries, Japan and the US.
The Peoples’ Liberation Army spokesperson said that the rising defense budget of Japan and Tokyo diversifying its military cooperation with Washington and other countries would further heighten stress in the region. Beijing thus possesses the right of self-defense, which means more military drills and patrolling in international waters and airspace around Japan.
Another military expert points out that such a rise in military spending and joint ventures in the defense fields has put Japan in a very dangerous and riskier position in the face of China, the region’s strongest power in military terms.
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This warning and concern from Beijing came at a time when Japan and the US plans for boosting up the security of Japan and the region at large after the Chinese claim on Taiwan, which it claims is a breakaway province of theirs.
Meanwhile, the top diplomats of Japan and the US met in Washington, in the foreground of the coming visit of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House.
The term, “2+2 meeting”, commonly used in the foreign policy paradigm, solely focuses on the external and defense relations of the two countries who meet for this discussion.
The US State Department praised Tokyo for leaving aside the traditional policy of pacifism and No-War after WWII.
The US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also confirmed that US personnel and weapons deployed in Japan would be made more lethal and advanced to meet the challenges posed by China and North Korea.
This is the first time in the post-war history of Japan that it is going to spend 2 percent of its GDP on its defense in the coming five years.
However, the spokesperson for the Chinese foreign office Wang Wenbin, in a cautious statement, warned that such moves and developments would have very negative repercussions for the stability and peace of this region.