Dismissing any signs of disagreements among the QU nations over India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday that “even amongst like-minded, positions may not fully agree”. Following the QU leaders summit in Tokyo, Japan, when Kishida was asked about New Delhi’s position on Russia and its impact on the relevance of the security arrangement among the four nations, he upheld the individuality of each country. The Japanese PM said that on a global level, each nation has its own historical and geographical situation. .
Kishida said, “In international situation, each country has its own historical developments & geographical situation.”
“Even amongst like-minded, positions may not agree fully. But deepened mutual understanding & cooperation crucial among QU members“, he added while replying to a question about India’s stance on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
#WATCH | When asked about India’s stand on Russia & its impact on relevance of Quad, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida says, “In international situation, each country has its own historical development & geographical situation. Even amongst like-minded, positions may not agree fully…” pic.twitter.com/NHH3KbS5sl — ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2022
The Japanese Prime Minister also said, “For Ukrainian situation, amongst the 4 leaders, including India, we were able to reaffirm the importance of various principles like rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity and unilateral change of status quo or force shall never be allowed in any region”. Meanwhile, in what appeared to be a veiled attack on China, Japanese PM Kishida on Tuesday underscored that all four QU nations are committed against any “unilateral change of status quo by force”, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.
Following the in-person meeting between Kishida, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, USA President Joe Biden and Australia’s newly-elected MP Anthony Albanese, the Japanese PM referred to the Russia-Ukraine war to underscore the importance of “free and open” Indo-Pacific, a longstanding aim of the QU leaders.
Japanese PM Kishida said, “Russian invasion of Ukraine, an incident that shook the very foundation of international order – with the participation of Pres Biden, PM Modi & PM Albanese, we have been able to send off a powerful message of commitment by the 4 leaders from Tokyo to the whole world”.
“The four of us committed that unilateral change of status quo by force will never be allowed in any region, especially in the Indo Pacific and that a free & open Indo Pacific is ever more relevant today,” he added.
QU summit in Tokyo amid Russia-Ukraine war, China concerns
The leaders met for the leaders’ summit in Tokyo, Japan amid a range of global crises including the Moscow-Kyiv war with the US, Japan and Australia already introducing sanctions against Moscow. While India has chosen to call for peace without taking any harsh measures against Russia, Kishida asserted all four nations are united against any change in the Indo-Pacific region with the use of force.
China, which considers Taiwan as its own breakaway province, has repeatedly said that Beijing would force the island if it deviates from the mainland. Additionally, China’s Communist government has been very public with its condemnation of countries’ separate diplomatic ties with Taiwan while also growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. It is to note here that since Russia unleashed military aggression in Ukraine by calling it a “special military operation”, the conflict has sparked concerns that China might take similar measures to impose power over Taiwan, a self-ruled democratic island.
Image: AP