Rahm Emanuel, the fiery U.S. ambassador to Japan, has continued to lambaste China, criticizing it over its economic and security policies in the region while heaping praise on Tokyo’s new muscular approach to defense.
“China is not practicing being a good neighbor, no matter what they lip-sync. Their actions do not reflect their words. And everybody in the neighborhood is onto it now,” Emanuel told the Freakonomics podcast on Thursday.
The famously “undiplomatic” diplomat has taken an increasingly assertive stance against China, alleging that Beijing has become an economic bully toward its neighbors. The former Chicago mayor said his approach is a way to defend both the U.S. and Japan, which he called Washington’s “No. 1 ally.”