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.