Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff are expected to stress in a joint statement this week that they share basic values including respecting the rule of law, a Japanese delegation source said Saturday.
Their statement, to be released following their meeting Friday, reflects Beijing's unilateral declaration of an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea last November as well as its growing assertiveness in the East and South China seas.
Aimed at countering Beijing in light of recent actions such as repeated clashes between Chinese and Vietnamese ships, a draft joint statement showed that Japan and Brazil will mention that conflicts in the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully and in line with international law without the use of force or threat, according to the source.