Japan Pm Kishida Explicitly Criticizes China At East Asia Summit
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has explicitly criticized China for stepping up its activities that violate Japan's sovereignty in the East China Sea.
Kishida was speaking at the East Asia Summit in Cambodia on Sunday. Other participants included US President Joe Biden, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Kishida mentioned that some of the ballistic missiles fired by the Chinese military during its drills fell inside Japan's exclusive economic zone in August.
He said peace and stability on the Taiwan Strait is an important issue that is directly linked to regional security.
Kishida expressed concern about the situation in Hong Kong and alleged human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
The prime minister reiterated Japan's opposition to China's increased activities in the South China Sea and economic coercion in the region.
Regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kishida said unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force must not be tolerated anywhere in the world.
He also said using or threatening to use nuclear weapons is a hostile act against humanity, and called on the international community to send a clear message to oppose such acts.
Kishida said North Korea's repeated and frequent ballistic missile launches were a clear and serious challenge that cannot be overlooked. He urged the international community to compel North Korea to fully comply with UN Security Council resolutions.