Japan's Kono in Active Talks with Western Counterparts amid Virus Crisis

Tokyo, April 29 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono is stepping up talks with his European and U.S. counterparts out of concern that China may further increase its military and economic presence after the novel coronavirus pandemic subsides. His active diplomatic campaign comes at a time when the global coronavirus crisis has been stalling Japan's defense exchanges with other nations. In telephone talks on Tuesday, Kono and British Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace confirmed cooperation for the initiative on realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Kono also held phone talks recently with the defense ministers of the United States, France and Germany. The Japanese defense chief is seeking stepped-up cooperation with these Western countries as China continues to demonstrate its military strength while the world has been busy responding to the virus crisis. Recently, the aircraft carrier Liaoning and five other Chinese warships traveled back and forth in waters between the main island of Okinawa Prefecture and the island of Miyakojima, part of the southernmost Japan prefecture. Vietnam's Foreign Ministry said in early April that a Vietnamese fishing boat sank after being hit by a Chinese coast guard ship near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. China has set up new administrative districts in the South China Sea, leading a senior Japanese Defense Ministry official to say that the move represented an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force. In addition, China has supplied face masks and other goods, and medial equipment mainly to countries participating in its One Belt, One Road development initiative to help them in the fight against the novel coronavirus. Apparently with China in mind, countries in Europe are increasingly concerned about the possibility of major infrastructure companies in the region, such as telecommunications operators, being acquired amid the regional economic stagnation blamed on the coronavirus pandemic. At a press conference on Tuesday, Kono said that he is talking with his foreign counterparts about how the epidemic will change the international order, showing his plans to hold more telephone talks with officials of other countries. END