Japan voices strong concern over Chinese military and rare earth moves
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya held talks with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-related gatherings in Kuala Lumpur to voice Tokyo's 'strong concerns' about the flurry of security and economic issues, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Highlighting Tokyo's rising security concerns, the 45-minute talks came just ahead of an announcement by Japan's Defense Ministry of what it said were two 'unusual approaches' by Chinese fighter jets near Air Self-Defense Force surveillance aircraft that 'risked accidental collisions' over the East China Sea on Wednesday and Thursday.
At the meeting, Iwaya pressed Wang over last month's territorial airspace violation by a China Coast Guard helicopter around the Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea as well as the ramped-up activities of its two operational aircraft carrier activities in the Western Pacific.
The foreign minister also pointed to the deteriorating security situation in the East and South China Seas, while highlighting the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, saying that large-scale military exercises around Taiwan are 'incompatible with this' — an apparent criticism of China's increasingly common drills around the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own and has vowed to unify with the mainland.
Iwaya also said he had 'strongly urged' Wang to expedite the approval process for export licenses of rare earths and magnets, saying the controls were having a 'severe' impact on Japanese firms.
Japanese imports of the elements, which are essential for making a number of advanced products, have reportedly fallen to the lowest level in five years following Beijing's imposition of trade restrictions in response to U.S. tariffs.
According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Wang assured Iwaya that China can meet the normal rare earth demands of Japanese companies 'as long as the relevant regulations are observed and the necessary procedures are followed.'
The detention of Japanese nationals in China also featured in the talks, with Iwaya calling for their early release and describing the issue as 'one of the biggest factors impeding people-to-people exchanges and the improvement of national sentiment' between the neighboring countries.
Japan's top diplomat is one of dozens of foreign ministers, both from Southeast Asia and the region's top partners, who have convened in Kuala Lumpur for two-days of gatherings that end Friday.
Besides speaking with Wang on Thursday, Iwaya also attended a Japan-ASEAN meeting in which he highlighted Southeast Asia's growing economic and security role at a time of escalating geopolitical tensions.
'The international community is at a historic turning point, with regional and international situations becoming increasingly severe and uncertain,' Iwaya said.
'ASEAN is the linchpin in realizing a 'Free and Open Indo-Pacific' and the world's growth center,' he added. 'Its role is becoming increasingly important for peace and prosperity throughout the region.'
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (center) poses for photos with Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) and Philippines Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro at a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related meetings in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. |
POOL / VIA AFP-JIJI
But as the region grapples with uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump's new trade tariff announcements, Iwaya also called for 'maintaining and strengthening a free, fair and open international economic order' based on rules and with the World Trade Organization system at its core.
Iwaya also held talks with several other counterparts, including a trilateral meeting with Theresa P. Lazaro of the Philippines and U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio, who is on his first trip to Asia since assuming his current role.
Rubio looked to defuse growing concerns that the United States under Trump remains aloof and distracted when it comes to the interests of Southeast Asia and the larger Indo-Pacific region, telling gathered ministers Thursday that it 'remains a focal point of U.S. foreign policy.'
'When I hear in the news that perhaps the United States ... might be distracted by events in other parts of the planet, I would say distraction is impossible, because it is our view — our strong view and the reality — that this century and the next — the story of the next 50 years will largely be written here in this region,' he said.
'It is impossible to ignore it, to sideline it, and we have no intention of doing so,' he added.
Rubio also held highly anticipated talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, with the pair discussing a Ukraine peace deal, as well as the situation in Iran and Syria, according to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow.
Global and regional concerns have taken center stage in almost all ASEAN-related gatherings as the 10-member bloc's unity and ability to ease tensions is being put to the test over not only the intensifying civil war in Myanmar and the border clash between Cambodia and Thailand but also over the ongoing maritime disputes between Manila and Beijing.
In a separate gathering with Iwaya, Wang and South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoonjoo, Malaysia's top diplomat, Mohamad Hasan, emphasized the seriousness of growing trade and security issues facing Southeast Asia.
'The region is facing a storm — what might be called the perfect storm,' he said, explaining that the challenges are multifold, ranging from intensifying great power rivalry, economic fragmentation to technological disruptions and transboundary threats.
'Unilateralism and nationalism are on the rise, marginalizing multilateralism that is essential for a stable world order,' he added.
Talks on these issues, however, had largely been overshadowed by Washington's announcements of new trade tariffs on the summit's host and other U.S. regional partners and allies, raising doubts about its commitment to the region.
The reaction from the summit was prompt and unequivocal, with this year's ASEAN chairman, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, slamming the tariffs on Wednesday as tools being wielded to 'pressure, isolate and contain.'
'Tariffs, export restrictions and investment barriers have now become the sharpened instruments of geopolitical rivalry,' Anwar said.
'This is no passing storm,' he added. 'It is the new weather of our time.'
Despite efforts by some to offer concessions, Trump on Monday announced hefty levies of between 25% and 40% on six Southeast Asian countries, as well as 25% tariffs on Japan and South Korea. Among ASEAN nations, only Vietnam has so far secured a deal, which lowers the levy from an initial 46% initial to 20%.
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