[NTD Times, Beijing time, May 25, 2023]On Wednesday (May 24), Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida confirmed that NATO has a plan to open a “liaison office” in Japan. Although Japan does not plan to join NATO, this This move has once again stimulated the CCP.
On Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida confirmed that NATO has plans to open a “liaison office” in Japan, but Japan has no plans to become a member or associate member of NATO.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa: “We do not want to offend anyone, we are protecting ourselves from any kind of interference and from time to time (regional) threats”.
Earlier this month, Japanese Foreign Minister Lin Fang revealed in an exclusive interview with CNN that NATO plans to open an office in Tokyo, which will be the first in Asia for the U.S.-led military alliance. Regional consultations.
Tang Jingyuan, a senior current affairs commentator: “The establishment of NATO’s liaison office in Japan means that the military link between NATO and Japan has changed from a retreat in the past to a pragmatic one. It also means the first step in the Asia-Pacificization of NATO. It is the first step in the sense of eastward expansion. This partnership will be very helpful in establishing a military alliance similar to NATO in the Indo-Pacific region, and the main target will undoubtedly be directed at the CCP.”
Mao Ning, Spokesperson of the Chinese Communist Party’s Foreign Ministry: “The Asia-Pacific does not welcome confrontation between camps and military blocs.”
NATO’s “Eastern Expansion” plan immediately attracted opposition from the CCP. The commentary pointed out that if the NATO office in Japan is established, it will impact the hegemony of the CCP in Asia.
Tang Jingyuan: “Judging from the specific content of this cooperation between NATO and Japan, the establishment of NATO’s liaison office in Japan is a sign of two things, especially for the CCP. First, the geopolitical situation in the Indo-Pacific region will change. One major change is that the CCP’s dominance of the entire Asian order may be impacted; second, NATO’s political attributes will become stronger. In the past, NATO was a relatively simple regional military alliance, but now NATO is expanding into a A global alliance that integrates politics, military, and technology across oceans and continents. Then this is of course a huge deterrent force for the CCP, because this power is to prevent possible crises in the Taiwan Strait, and it is also It will be included in the range of concerns of the entire NATO.”
According to various media reports, the NATO office in Japan will open in 2024. In places like Ukraine and Vienna, NATO already has similar offices. If it is based in Japan, it will be able to face the geopolitics brought by China and Russia more closely with partners in the Pacific region, such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. challenge.
NTD reporter Ruili New York interview and report