The opportunity for global cooperation should be given momentum at this forum of multilateral meetings. Japan should reaffirm its close ties with countries such as the United States for the sake of economic growth and the stability of the international order.
A summit meeting of leaders from the Group of 20 major economies has taken place in Argentina. At this meeting, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated that protectionism and exchanges of restrictive trade measures "will not benefit any country." Abe's comment was made with the United States and China in mind as the two nations have been slapping high tariffs on each other amid rising trade friction.
Japan must clearly spell out its policy to counter protectionism and boost free and fair trade.
As the prime minister emphasized, it is important for every nation to share an awareness that U.S.-China wrangling over trade presents a severe threat to the global economy, and to urge both Washington and Beijing to resolve their dispute.
Disagreement between the United States and China intensified at the summit meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in November, when an APEC leaders' joint declaration could not be adopted. It is an important task for G20 members to help mend this rift.
Abe's summit talks with the leaders of the United States and China on the sidelines of the G20 meeting were a well-timed response to this issue.
During Abe's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, both leaders agreed to urge China to play a constructive role.
Xi must walk the walk
In his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Abe expressed his expectation that China will make a constructive contribution to the G20, and called on China to take action to address issues the United States considers problematic, including intellectual property right violations and subsidies for state-owned enterprises.
As chair of next year's G20 summit meeting, Japan has the important responsibility of promoting a collaborative framework among the participants. Japan should tenaciously make efforts to prevent antagonism between the United States and China from becoming worse and to widen their leeway for making compromises.
China's military buildup and overbearing diplomatic approach is one major security concern in the Asia-Pacific region. China's expanding military footprint in the South China Sea, which is destabilizing the region, also is a problem.
It is hugely significant that Abe, Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed during trilateral talks that they would cooperate toward realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific.
It is important that multilateral cooperation with the United States at its center encourages China to refrain from self-righteous behavior.
During their talks, Abe and Xi affirmed they would promote bilateral ties.
Xi declared he has "confidence in the future" of Japan-China relations. If that is really the case, Xi must display a more concrete approach toward improving ties, such as by resuming negotiations on the joint development of gas fields in the East China Sea and refraining from provocative actions near the Senkaku Islands.
It is vital that Japan forthrightly points out the various problems China has and demands that Beijing takes steps to rectify them.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 2, 2018)
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