Fumio Kishida plans a new policy for the Indo-Pacific

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will announce a new plan to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, a Japan-led initiative aimed at curbing China’s growing regional assertiveness, as reported by the Japanese media Kyodo News.

The plan designed to maintain a rules-based international order will be unveiled during Kishida’s three-day visit to India, with Japan trying to push through the project, championed by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

In an attempt to reinforce the vision, Kishida has been keen to boost security cooperation to balance China, while expressing willingness to expand official development assistance to emerging countries in the region.

Kishida is considering presenting the new idea in his speech on Monday, March 20, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hikariko Ono said, adding that the prime minister is also likely to explain the plan to his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, during his meetings. conversations.

The Indian Navy tests its operational readiness in the face of threats from China and Pakistan

The latest announcement would come at a time when Japan has recently shown interest in deepening relations with India, a key nation in the “Global South”, a term that collectively refers to developing countries in areas such as Asia. , Africa and Latin America.

India is also a member of the Quad, a quadripartite security framework involving the United States and Australia along with Japan.

According to Ono, Kishida’s proposal would include the supply of non-military equipment and infrastructure support for Asia-Pacific countries facing the threat of Beijing’s military expansion in the South China Sea.