Japan is trying to send a message to Donald Trump not to make a deal with China - Reuters
Kyiv • UNN
Japan is trying to send a message to Donald Trump not to make a deal with China
Japan, America's closest ally in Asia, is trying to send a message to U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump: don't try to make any agreement with China, which could reverse years of collective efforts to rein in Beijing and jeopardize the fragile peace in the region, Reuters reported, citing sources, writes UNN.
Details
Tokyo has stepped up efforts to engage with people close to Trump in recent weeks as the 77-year-old Trump's victories in the Republican primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire "have put him as the favorite to win the November presidential election in some polls," the publication notes.
The effort, detailed in interviews with six Japanese officials, is indicated to be taking place as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida prepares for an April state visit to the United States at the invitation of U.S. President Joe Biden.
Japan's efforts included sending a senior ruling party figure to try to meet with Trump, as well as Japanese diplomats' interactions with think tanks and former U.S. officials who support Trump, the three officials said.
Top on Tokyo's worry list is that if Trump returns to power, he may try to broker some kind of trade or security agreement between the world's two leading economies that could undermine recent efforts by the wealthy Group of Seven (G7) nations to counter China, six officials pointed out.
Japanese officials said they had no specific knowledge of Trump's plans, but based their concerns on his public comments and actions during his 2017-2021 presidential term, when he refrained from multilateral cooperation, defended his relationship with authoritarian leaders such as Xi Jinping, and unsuccessfully sought a nuclear deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Two Japanese foreign ministry officials said they feared Trump might be willing to weaken U.S. support for neighboring Taiwan in pursuit of a deal with China. They said such a move could embolden Beijing, which claims Taiwan and has not ruled out taking the island by force.
A Trump aide told Reuters that there have been no recent meetings between Trump and Japanese officials. They did not comment further.
Tokyo is also concerned that Trump could hit Japan again with protectionist trade measures such as steel tariffs and renew demands that it pay more to cover the cost of stationing U.S. troops in the country, according to six Japanese officials.
The two officials said Japan's outreach is part of a proactive approach to see if these problems will surface and to communicate Tokyo's position.
Japan's foreign ministry said in a statement that it was "watching the U.S. presidential election with great interest," while noting the U.S. bipartisan commitment to the U.S.-Japan alliance.
