NATO's "Tokyo Office" Plan Delayed, "Lower Priority" All Votes | Office | Plan
According to the report of Nihon Keizai Shimbun on July 10, the plan for NATO to open the first liaison office in Asia in Tokyo, Japan, has been postponed until the autumn.
The report pointed out that NATO's initial plan was to include the content of the new office in the relevant documents passed at the Vilnius summit on July 11th and 12th. But France values its relations with China and opposes NATO opening an office in Tokyo. NATO's decisions must be approved by a full vote of the participating countries.
The report states that NATO's goal is to make a decision within the year and will continue to advance coordination efforts. The plan was led by NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg, and the Japanese government received the relevant proposal.
The report points out that NATO's move aims to promote security cooperation with like-minded countries such as South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, based on its office in Japan, a "partner" in Asia.
However, French President Macron expressed opposition to the opening of the Tokyo office to the NATO Secretariat. "NATO is the abbreviation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization." Officials from the French Presidential Office emphasized to the media on the 7th that it is not appropriate for NATO to establish a base in the Indian Ocean Pacific region with the United States and Europe as collective defense targets.
The report suggests that the background factor for this matter is the difference in understanding of the so-called "China threat" within NATO member countries. The US government and Stoltenberg believe that deepening China Russia relations, enhancing military strength, and responding to the "China threat" are essential components of NATO's security strategy.
The United States has been urging Japan and South Korea to expand cooperation with NATO. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Seok yeol will also attend the NATO summit.
The report states that some NATO member countries, including France, attach great importance to economic relations with China and are genuinely unwilling to stimulate China. Macron led financial professionals to visit China in April and received a warm reception. Airbus signed orders with Chinese companies, and a series of business cooperation made progress.
The report states that China strongly opposes NATO's plan to open a Tokyo office. France is a nuclear power in Europe, and Macron's proposal to achieve "strategic autonomy" in the fields of security and economy is also out of resistance to the dominant position of the United States.
Diplomats revealed, "Macron is particularly opposed to NATO's proposal to set aside France and open an office."
According to reports, the NATO summit will be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, discussing topics such as negotiations for Sweden's accession to NATO, the establishment of a long-term aid framework for Ukraine, and the extension of Stoltenberg's term by one year. According to sources, compared to the urgent issues mentioned above, the establishment of the Tokyo office has a lower priority, and the coordination work will be postponed until after the autumn.