U.S. Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has told Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that she accepts his dealings with Russia, a former senior U.S. official said Wednesday.
During a Sept. 19 meeting with Abe in New York, Clinton said, "I accept that strategic wisdom," when Abe spoke about Japan's engagement with Russia, according to Kurt Campbell, who served as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs from 2009 to 2013. Campbell was present at the meeting.
Speaking at a think tank event in Washington, he quoted Abe as telling Clinton that "Russia's sole line of strategic entry into Asia really fundamentally is through China," and that "there is an interest in a better relationship between Russia and Japan."