Japan, U.S. blast China for firing missiles near Taiwan

Jiji Press

10:56 JST, August 5, 2022

Tokyo, Aug. 5 (Jiji Press)—Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken have blasted China for launching ballistic missiles as part of its ongoing military drills around Taiwan.

The two officials had a short chat in Cambodia on Thursday on the sidelines of meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Phnom Penh. They also agreed to work even more closely to ensure regional peace and stability.

Of the missiles launched by China into areas surrounding Taiwan on Thursday, five fell into waters inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.

This “is a grave problem concerning our country’s security and its people’s safety,” Hayashi told Blinken. “We’ve requested (China) to stop the military drills immediately.”

Ahead of the meeting, Hayashi, Blinken and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong had three-way strategic ministerial talks.

The three ministers shared concerns about a series of Chinese military activities and confirmed their countries’ close cooperation to deal with the issue.

They also agreed to step up efforts to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region by strengthening cooperation with allies and like-minded countries.