China warns NATO against opening liaison office in Japan; invokes WWII rivalry

China on Wednesday warned the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) against implementing its plans of integrating a liaison office in Japan to coordinate with the allies in the Indo-Pacific region including Australia, South Korea and New Zealand.

"Asia-Pacific region does not welcome NATO's plan to open a liaison office in Japan," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press briefing held on Wednesday, May 24. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's remarks came after Japan's government acknowledged NATO's plan of opening the first ever Asian US-led military bloc's liaison office in Tokyo, which the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said was aimed at facilitating the consultations.

“We want to say that the Asia-Pacific does not welcome group confrontation, does not welcome military confrontation,” Mao said at the press conference. 

She threatened NATO and Japan, saying that the latter must be "extra cautious on the issue of military security" given its "history of aggression," invoking the WWII rivalry. 

A military delegation from NATO’s Cooperative Security Division (CS), led by its Director, Lieutenant General Francesco Diella travelled to Japan in April. Credit: NATO

'No NATO partner closer than Japan': NATO Secretary-General

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg agreed to establish the office during the latter's visit to Tokyo on January 31. During the meeting, NATO's Stoltenberg had pushed to forge closer ties with its Asian ally Japan, saying “No NATO partner is closer or more capable than Japan."

Both sides agreed to upgrade their bilateral regional cooperation, and agreed to ink Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP) before the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12. ITPP will strengthen cooperation in fields such as cybersecurity, disinformation and space and will upgrade from the Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme (IPCP) that Japan and NATO signed in 2014.

NATO Military Committee chief Rob Bauer, left, meets with Japanese Chief of Staff Koji Yamazaki, right. Credit: AP 

Japan acknowledged the adoption of NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept, which refers to the importance of the Indo-Pacific. By mid-April, the military alliance circulated a draft proposal among its 31 members about establishing an office, sources told The Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

Leaders of the AP4 in Madrid summit of NATO. Credit: NATO

Beijing is boycotting the Western military alliance NATO's foothold in Japan. Last year, Japan was in attendance with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and then-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at NATO Summit in Madrid.

These countries are labelled as the Asia-Pacific partners (AP4) of NATO. In response to China's criticism, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that country had no plans to become a NATO member.