6.9.17

Japan hails Doklam resolution

Japan welcomed the resolution on Doklam attributing it to India's “persistence and resilience“ that resulted in a peaceful settlement. Addressing think tank Aspen Ananta Centre, the Japanese PM's foreign policy adviser, Katsuyuki Kawai added, “Japan confronts every day Chinese expansionist behaviour.“

Ahead of premier Shinzo Abe's visit to India next week, Kawai said Japan is looking for a “big leap“ in its relationship with India. Kawai said Abe expected the three pillars of the India-Japan relationship to move forward substantively during his visit. First, on the high speed railway, Japan wants to move beyond the present Mumbai-Ahmedabad line which is expected to be done by 2023 to others (Delhi-Varanasi, for instance) which are currently under negotiation.

Security and defence cooperation is the second pillar, Kawai said, where the Malabar exercise is a “symbol of cooperation.“ Kawai made a strong pitch for Australia to be included in the exercise. Canberra has openly said it wants to be part of the Malabar exercises though India still has some reservations.

The third pillar, Kawai said, was joint development of defence equipment between India and Japan. This is significant, given the current regional security context. Making a rare intervention, Kawai said, “The security environment around Japan (has) moved to a decidedly different phase.“

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