Foreign ministers of Japan and France agreed Tuesday to promote security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, confirming the importance of stability across the Taiwan Strait after French President Emmanuel Macron cautioned against being drawn into a Taiwan crisis amid a U.S.-China rivalry.
Speaking to Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, France’s Catherine Colonna stated that the security of the Indo-Pacific and Europe is “indivisible” and that it is important to respect the international order based on the rule of law, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
The two held the talks in Tokyo after leaving the resort town of Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture, where the Group of Seven foreign ministerial meeting was held through Tuesday.
The G7 gathering took place after Macron sparked controversy in the United States and Europe for calling on Europeans not to be “followers” of either the U.S. or China and warned of being drawn into a crisis over Taiwan driven by what he called “the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction.”
At the Karuizawa talks, the top diplomats from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S., plus the European Union, reaffirmed the importance of “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” calling it “an indispensable element in security and prosperity in the international community.”
Beijing regards self-ruled, democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province to be united with the mainland, by force if necessary.
Japan and France have been deepening ties, sharing the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific amid China’s growing military assertiveness. France is the only European Union member with overseas territories in the Indo-Pacific.
Earlier Tuesday in Karuizawa, Hayashi met Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly. They pledged to work closely to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific and to cooperate in dealing with North Korea, which continues to launch ballistic missiles in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
They also held talks on a trans-Pacific free trade agreement, according to the Foreign Ministry, referring to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, of which Japan and Canada are members.
In late March, the members agreed to allow Britain to join the 11-nation free trade pact, marking the first expansion of the deal and raising the bloc’s share of global economic output to 15%.