Japan-France Agrees On Close Cooperation For Issues Related To China

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida/PHOTO via Instagram fumio_kishida

JAKARTA - Japanese and French leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of security and economy and cooperate on issues related to China.

The strengthening of cooperation was taken by Japan and France as China's military and economic influence escalated in the Indo-Pacific region.

The inauguration of ANTARA, Friday, May 19, during talks in Hiroshima, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed they would continue to impose severe economic sanctions on Russia for its attacks on Ukraine while strongly supporting Kiev, according to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The bilateral talks took place on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Hiroshima, western Japan, which began on the same day. The way the G7 responds to China will be the main agenda at the summit.

The meeting came after Macron sparked controversy calling on Europe not to become a "follower" of either the United States or China, warning against being dragged into the crisis over Taiwan amid competition between the two countries, in media interviews last month.

The communist-led China considers Taiwan, which has its own government, as part of its territory which will eventually reunite with mainland mainland China, and has increased military pressure on the island.

On that occasion, Kishida and Macron promised to promote cooperation in cyber and space, civil nuclear energy, and in supporting startups, such as by sending 100 Japanese businessmen to France over the next five years, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

Earlier on the same day, Kishida met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The two agreed to further expand cooperation in economic security and other areas, building results from the first intergovernmental talks involving leaders and key ministers of the two countries in Tokyo in March, the ministry said.

With Kishida and Scholz running for president of G7 this year and last year, the Japanese prime minister said he hopes to work closely with German leaders to direct group discussions towards maintenance and strengthening of international order under legal rules.

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The two leaders specifically agreed on the importance of aligning themselves with newly rising and developing "South Global" countries. Many of these countries are impartial to the United States (US) and its allies regarding Russia's war in Ukraine.

Furthermore, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Khshida also met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and they welcomed the "stable progress" of the action plan of the two countries to create a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

In October 2022, the action plans announced by the two countries also included the launch of negotiations on the signing of a bilateral agreement to share security intelligence that must be achieved "as soon as possible."

On Thursday (18/5), Kishida held a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.