Japan and the UK sign an agreement to protect against the growing threat from China

Faced with China’s growing ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region, the British and Japanese prime ministers signed an “extremely important” defense agreement in London on Wednesday that would allow British troops to be stationed in the Asian archipelago.

Before the signing, planned at the historic Tower of London as part of a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the office of his British counterpart Rishi Shunak was assured that it was “the most important defense agreement between the two countries in more than a century.”

The pact, which began negotiations in 2021, establishes the legal basis for the deployment of troops from United Kingdom D Japan in their mutual territories for training purposes and other operations.

“This mutual access agreement is of great importance for our two countries. It reinforces our commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and highlights our joint efforts to improve the security economy,” Downing Street added.

The pact also reflects the efforts Japan strengthen their alliances in the face of growing ambitions China in a region that the Japanese government considers an “unprecedented strategic challenge” to its security.

Tokyo has recently revolutionized its defense and security policy under growing pressure from Beijing and already signed a similar agreement with Australia a year ago.

This expanded military cooperation with London represents “a pretty significant step forward for both countries in terms of their bilateral defense relationship,” Ewan Graham of the International Institute for Strategic Studies told AFP Wednesday.

And this makes it easier to deploy joint operations, which until now have been “diplomatically difficult” because each time they required the approval of the Foreign Ministry, he explained.

“Block Confrontation”

In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that “The Asia-Pacific region is a place of peaceful development, not a platform for geopolitical games.”

“Cooperation in the field of defense should promote better understanding, trust and cooperation between countries,” and not “create imaginary enemies, not to mention the introduction of the old bloc mentality in the region,” he added.

China D Japan, the world’s second and third economies respectively, are important trading partners, but their relationship has been deteriorating for years. Tokyo regularly denounces maritime activities China around the Senkaku Islands, whose sovereignty is claimed by Beijing.

Since the end of World War II, Japan it has a pacifist constitution that limits its military power to only defensive actions.

However, last month the government approved a plan to increase military spending to 2% of GDP by 2027 (double the normal rate) and warned that China it was the greatest strategic challenge to their security.

United Kingdom He has also hardened his speech on Beijing over the years. In November, Sunak called the Asian giant a “systemic challenge” to British interests.

United KingdomItaly and Japan announced last month that they will be jointly developing a new modern combat aircraft, which should be completed by 2035.

Kishida is visiting London as part of a multi-country tour of the G7, during which he previously traveled to Paris and Rome, and is due to culminate on Friday with US President Joe Biden in Washington.

(According to AFP)

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