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A strong international response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is crucial in deterring China from engaging in territorial conquests in Taiwan or the South China Sea, said Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi.
“China is closely monitoring the current situation of Russian aggression against Ukraine and is paying particular attention to the reactions of the international community,” Kishi told The Post in an interview in Washington on Thursday.
A senior Japanese defense official, speaking through an interpreter, said the global response would weigh heavily on Beijing and its “actions in the Asian region in the future.”
“If the international community somehow allows or approves Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, it may send the wrong message that such actions can be tolerated in other parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific region,” Kishi said. “From this point of view, such actions by Russia cannot be tolerated.
Managing China’s rise is a top priority for President Biden, who will visit Asia later this month. His administration is ready to unveil China’s long-awaited strategy in a speech by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in the coming days. The treatment, originally scheduled for Thursday, was postponed after Blinken tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday.
Chinese military spending has more than doubled in the past decade, raising fears that it will expand its dominance over disputed waters in the South China Sea or the island of Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory, and threaten to regain force if it is. necessary.
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Tokyo, which has historically avoided conflicts outside Asia, has joined the United States and the European Union in imposing a number of rounds of sanctions against Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine. It froze Moscow’s access to its tens of billions of dollars in foreign exchange reserves at Tokyo’s central bank, cut off several Russian banks from the global interbank messaging system known as SWIFT, and froze the assets of Russian officials and elites.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense provided drones, bulletproof vests and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and accepted those evacuated from Ukraine with the help of Japanese planes. In response, Russia has banned the permanent entry of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and more than 60 other cabinet ministers, officials, journalists and scientists. This week, Russia’s foreign ministry accused Tokyo of launching an “unprecedented anti-Russian campaign” that destroyed “good neighborly ties” and damaged the “Russian economy.”
However, Kishi said Japan “will continue to support Ukraine as much as possible.” The announcement was made earlier this week by Kishida, who warned during a visit to Britain that “Ukraine could be East Asia tomorrow.” Kishida said Japan plans to freeze the assets of another 140 Russian individuals and Russian banks and will stop exporting modern technology to Russia.
China’s foreign ministry has rejected Kishida’s comments, saying Japan is announcing a potential Chinese threat to gain public support for rising defense spending. Asked why Japan was noticeably absent after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Kishi said the world had “changed since the annexation.”
“Last time, the reaction of the international community was not as united as this time,” he said. “The international community has been looking closely and watching what happened then, and that has helped us move faster this time.”
That unity has not been lost by Beijing, but analysts say the lessons China is learning are far from certain. “China is clearly watching the strong response from democracies, and they are probably surprised by its strength and unity,” said Jacob Stokes, a fellow at the Center for the New American Security. “At the same time, Beijing may conclude that China’s greater role in the world economy or Taiwan’s unique political situation may be enough to provoke a weaker response. Kishida’s comments are intended to dissuade Chinese leaders from such views.
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Chinese officials say the two disputes have little in common. “These are completely different things. “Ukraine is a sovereign state, while Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory,” Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang wrote in a column after the invasion. “We are committed to peaceful reunification, but we also retain all opportunities to limit Taiwan’s independence.”
U.S. officials have long feared that growing ties between Russia and China could reduce efforts to increase the economic and military costs of the invasion of Ukraine. But so far, although Beijing has continued to do business with Moscow, it has saved Russia neither militarily nor economically. “So far, we do not see significant support from China for Russia’s military action,” Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month.
Beyond China, Kishi noted that North Korea and its series of ballistic missile tests, more than a dozen this year, are sparking discussions in Tokyo to develop the ability to strike at enemy military facilities with its own fighters.
The possibility of Japanese fighter jets entering enemy airspace worries some of Tokyo’s neighbors, including South Korea, given Japan’s imperial past. Kishi did not predict the outcome of these discussions, but said Japan should consider “what we need to do to protect our people.”
US officials hope to improve relations between Tokyo and Seoul, its two most important East Asian allies, following the election of a new government in Seoul. South Korean President-elect Yun Suk Yol has said he would like to improve relations with Japan and strengthen dialogue.
Kishi said he would “ensure close communication with the new Korean administration so we can strengthen” trilateral cooperation “between Japan, South Korea and the United States. “I hope that the new Present Yoon will use its leadership to resolve the various outstanding issues between Japan and South Korea,” he said.
Michel Ye Hee Lee from Tokyo contributed to this report.
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