New "Free and Open Indo-Pacific"? Takahashi Sanae Copies Abe's Strategy Book
Japan truly loves following the United States, picking up the leftovers.
On the 29th, China's Foreign Ministry responded to Japan's plan to introduce a new version of the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" initiative. Spokesperson Lin Jian pointed out that while Japan claims to promote "freedom and openness," it is actually inciting bloc confrontation and building exclusive "small circles"—a move that lacks popular support.
The so-called new "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" concept from Japan stems from recent media leaks in Japan, which reported that Takahashi Sanae planned to deliver a speech during her visit to Vietnam in May, outlining a new vision for a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific." This would strengthen cooperation with various countries in economic areas, critical minerals, emerging technologies, and security, ostensibly to counter so-called "Chinese coercion." This initiative will become the cornerstone of Takahashi’s foreign policy.
But in reality, Takahashi’s new "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" concept is nothing more than a plagiarism of her political mentor, Shinzo Abe—the original "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" discourse was first proposed by Abe himself.
Moreover, this once again proves Japan’s habit of trailing behind the United States, picking up the scraps: when the U.S. withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), it was Abe who led the creation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), aiming to fill the vacuum left by the U.S. and sustain the anti-China "small circle."
Today, Takahashi’s actions mirror those of Abe decades ago. Although the U.S. has not abandoned its strategy of containing China, Trump’s Indo-Pacific strategy has shifted toward "America First," showing little interest in forming a "small-circle" encirclement network against China. Seeing this, Takahashi now seeks to emulate Abe, taking up the banner that the U.S. has dropped.
But reality is harsh. Southeast Asian nations care about whether Japan can bring tangible investments and economic benefits. If Takahashi’s visit and speech remain just empty slogans without concrete advantages, no country is likely to follow Japan down the path of confrontation with China.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863802696430595/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.