Japan wants increased cooperation to check China |
Defence Minister of Japan, Taro Kono has called for increased cooperation in the India-Pacific region to counter Chinese expansion. Speaking at a webinar held by Washington-based Center for Strategic & International Studies in Tokyo, Kono pitched for a larger regional mechanism or global mechanism to counter China. Indo-Pacific region is largely viewed as an area comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea. The Japanese Defence Minister said, "In order to check Chinese expansion. I think we need to force China to pay some cost when they are violating international rules, international norms. The US and Japan alone cannot do it. I think we need to work with the global community. So a larger regional mechanism or global mechanism would be necessary”. China has increased its military presence in the South China Sea in recent weeks. Moreover, China also has launched two sets of military drills off the country`s east coast in a bid to display its power while countering the rising US military presence in the region. China`s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its efforts to advance into the Indian Ocean are seen to have challenged the established rules-based system. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims in the South China Sea.
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