Koizumi heads to Philippines for ASEAN defense talks, but China meeting unlikely

Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi will head to the Philippines from Wednesday for an expanded ASEAN defense ministerial summit, where he plans to hold bilateral talks with his U.S., Philippine and South Korean counterparts.

A meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun, however, may not be in the cards.

Koizumi said Tuesday that he would attend the summit through Friday as Japan looks to bolster defense cooperation with its regional partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and elsewhere.

But the summit is also a rare opportunity for Japanese defense officials to meet with their Chinese counterparts — Beijing is part of the expanded ASEAN talks — amid chilly ties between the two Asian powerhouses following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments nearly a year ago about the possibility of Tokyo intervening militarily in a crisis over Taiwan.

Koizumi emphasized that Japan is “always open to dialogue,” but said that while he held talks with Dong at last November’s summit, his ministry had yet to confirm if the Chinese defense chief would even be in attendance.

“However, if Defense Minister Dong does participate, I intend to engage in frank discussions on various issues and concerns,” he told reporters.

China’s Foreign Ministry remained mum on Monday when asked whether Beijing would send a high-level official or delegation.

“The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus is meant to play a positive role in enabling regional countries to step up dialogue, increase trust and promote cooperation,” ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said. “We oppose attempts by anyone to use this platform to seek selfish gains, hijack ASEAN and create trouble.”

In his first — and latest — talks with Dong on the ASEAN summit’s sidelines last year, the two spoke for about 50 minutes, with Koizumi calling security issues “the most challenging aspect of Japan-China relations” and expressing “grave concern” about intensifying Chinese military activities in the East China Sea and Pacific.

Koizumi specifically mentioned the moves that Chinese government vessels have made near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, which China also claims and calls the Diaoyu, while also stressing the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.