Japan-US ties at critical juncture; China 'not a good neighbour', says US envoy to Japan

The United States and Japan’s bilateral ties are at a critical juncture to develop their common values, said the newly appointed US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. In an exclusive interview with NHK in Washington on Wednesday, the new ambassador said that both US and Japan are “at a critical point, at a critical juncture, to really advance this friendship, alliance, and the value system that brings the two people and two democracies together to advance us on a set of value systems.”

Emanuel informed that US President Joe Biden had asked him in December 2020 to take the position of the US ambassador to Japan before the 79-year-old took over the White House in 2021. Emanuel said that he felt he would have “very big shoes to fill” because of important Japan and the roles carried out by previous officials. Weighing in on Beijing, the envoy said that China is “not a good neighbour, and it is not one that advances the interests of the region” while referring to the turn of events in Hong Kong and the South China Sea. 

Biden described China as ‘most serious competitor’: Emanuel

It is pertinent to note that in the same interview, Emanuel stressed that both Japan and the US should showcase that they can contribute to developing the region. He said that US President has described China as the “most serious competitor” to the US. Emanuel said, that he will be honest and forthright “about our strengths and about our challenges that we share together, and be open and receptive to how to solve them together."

It is pertinent to note that US-Japan Security Consultative Committee “2+2” Meeting, 2022 will be held on January 6 to enhance the alliance while also addressing the global challenges as China ramps up its assertiveness in the region. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price had said on Twitter that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Emanuel will be virtually meeting with Japan’s Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo. 

Earlier, on Tuesday, Price had said in a statement that, “During the meeting, the delegations will discuss ways the United States and Japan can strengthen our alliance to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region and to address the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and other global challenges.”

Image: AP