As planned, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae met with US President Donald Trump in New York to emphasize the strong bilateral relations before the arrival of China’s president, according to a news report by Kyodo News. Together they discussed several key issues such as the security environment in Asia, Japan’s industry, and more.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt of the Kyodo News report. Some parts in boldface…
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday to demonstrate the strength of bilateral relations, just a day before Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives in Washington for his first state visit in 11 years.
During a meeting in New York, Takaichi and Trump discussed “various issues concerning China, including economic security” and agreed to further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance, the Japanese government said.
Takaichi told Trump that the security environment in Asia and elsewhere is becoming increasingly severe, and that she wanted to show the world “how robust our alliance is through holding another round of meetings.”
Takaichi’s roughly 35-minute meeting with Trump, held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, was intended to coordinate on China and align policies in areas of mutual interest, according to Japanese officials.
“Thanks to Donald’s leadership and also my own leadership, our bilateral economic security cooperation in areas such as AI, semiconductors and critical minerals has been steadily advancing,” Takaichi also said in front of the press ahead of their closed-door discussions.
Trump also praised his counterpart, saying, “She’s done a great job” and that he has been keeping a close eye on her high approval ratings.
“The industry in Japan is doing very well. The country is doing very well. It’s a very big improvement, and it’s an honor to be with her,” Trump said.
“She’s a friend of mine. We got to know each other very well over the last period of time,” he said of Japan’s first female premier, who took office nearly a year ago. “She’s going to be a great prime minister.”
The meeting was their first since March, when she visited the U.S. capital. They spoke for about five minutes on the margins of a Group of Seven summit in June in France.
Japan and China have been in a diplomatic freeze since Takaichi suggested in November that an attack on Taiwan could constitute an existential threat to her country and warrant a response from its armed forces.
Infuriated by her statement, China, which views Taiwan as part of its territory, has since unleashed a series of political and economic reprisals against Japan, including export restrictions on rare earths needed to manufacture various high-tech products.
China has shown no sign of easing tensions with Japan, with Beijing prioritizing a managed detente with Washington. The Trump administration is concerned about the knock-on impact of the restrictions on U.S. supply chains.
With trade and artificial intelligence likely to top the agenda at the Trump-Xi summit at the White House on Thursday, the officials had said Takaichi would likely use the meeting with Trump to discuss China’s export controls and Tokyo’s willingness to boost cooperation on emerging technologies with Washington.
During their talks, Takaichi and Trump also reaffirmed the two countries’ commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea and had a candid discussion of U.S. sanctions against International Criminal Court officials, according to the government.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think the strong ties between the United States and Japan will eventually have a positive impact on international affairs, the security in Asia and other developments? Do you think the US-Japan alliance will push China back from locking in crucial supply chains and infrastructure projects of sovereign nations?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
+++++
Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco
