China linked to Russian aggression as EU and Japan vow to work together to counter Beijing

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says Russia’s ‘worrying’ pact with China threatens to bring about a new and arbritary international order

The two sides pledge to work more closely on political and security matters, including in areas such as Hong Kong and Xinjiang

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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shakes hands with European Council President Charles Michel as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen looks on. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 7:30pm, 12 May 2022

The European Union and Japan pledged to “deepen exchanges on China” at a summit in Tokyo on Thursday that linked Russia’s war on Ukraine with the perceived threat posed by Beijing in the Indo-Pacific.

The bulk of discussions revolved around Russia and the coordinated response to the invasion.

Japan is one of a few Indo-Pacific countries to have been in lockstep with the West on imposing biting sanctions against Moscow, and has redirected some of its own natural gas imports to help Europe wean itself off Russian energy.

“We will continue to provide coordinated political, financial, material and humanitarian support to Ukraine. We recognise that Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine shakes the rules-based international order and generates economic disruption globally, affecting partners around the world,” they said in a long joint statement.

But underlying almost everything in the statement and subsequent press conferences was China.

Before the event, a senior EU official had warned: “What happens in Europe today could happen in the Indo-Pacific tomorrow” – a sentiment that was made plain by European leaders in Tokyo, who have been frustrated by China’s unwillingness to offer meaningful support in ending the war.

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