When Prime Minister Fumio Kishida becomes the first Japanese leader to attend a NATO leaders summit on Wednesday, he¡¯ll be looking to stress the need for unity in preventing China from taking the ¡°wrong lessons¡± from the Ukraine war as the bloc looks to expand its footprint in the Indo-Pacific.
The Japanese leader is hoping to raise the alarm over Beijing¡¯s economic and military assertiveness in Asia and beyond. At the NATO summit in Madrid, Kishida will find a welcoming partner with intersecting interests on the challenge posed by China.
¡°We have seen attempts to change the status quo by force continuing and increasing in the Indo-Pacific,¡± Kishida was quoted as telling his Group of Seven counterparts Sunday in an apparent reference to China¡¯s moves in the region.
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