Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken on Monday agreed to boost cooperation when dealing with issues related to China and reconfirmed the importance of maintaining stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait.
Motegi and Blinken also agreed to work closely toward the denuclearization of North Korea and shared “serious concerns” over a continued military crackdown on protesters in Myanmar, a Japanese official said following their talks in London.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (front R) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (front L) hold talks in London on May 3, 2021. (Pool photo)(Kyodo)
In their second in-person meeting, the two agreed to promote efforts to realize a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” as pledged by their leaders last month in Washington.
A statement released by Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and U.S. President Joe Biden following their summit touched on Taiwan for the first time in more than half a century, at a time when China’s assertiveness toward the self-governing island continues and expressed opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in regional waters.
The talks between Motegi and Blinken were held ahead of a three-day meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrial nations.
On North Korea, Blinken, who previously met Motegi in Tokyo in March, explained to the minister the Biden administration’s updated policy, according to the official, who refrained from providing further information.
The Biden administration has recently completed a policy review on North Korea, with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki saying Friday it will pursue a “practical” approach toward ridding North Korea of its nuclear weapons and will not focus on striking a grand bargain.
