China’s rapidly growing military influence and unilateral changing of the status quo could present a risk to Japan, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in an interview, ahead of the first Quad summit.
"The changing power balance brought by the rise of China in the Indo-Pacific, along with the increasing inward focus spurred by the pandemic, have increased uncertainty,” Suga said before the first in-person leaders’ meeting of Quad nations U.S., Australia, India and Japan, which is to be held Friday at the White House.
The group of democracies is seen as trying to balance China’s increasing influence and military might in the region. Beijing has accused the U.S. of trying to form a clique.