Australian Prime Minister Visits Japan Today Talks with Prime Minister Suga Strengthening Cooperation with Japan under Chinese Control November 17, 6:57
Australian Prime Minister Morrison will visit Japan on the 17th to hold a summit meeting with Prime Minister Suga.
Australia is also expected to aim to curb China, whose relations are rapidly chilling, by strengthening ties with Japan, especially in the areas of economy and security.
Prime Minister Morrison will visit Japan from the 17th to the 2nd.
According to the Australian government, on the 17th of the first day, a summit meeting will be held with Prime Minister Kan to discuss measures against the new coronavirus and resumption of traffic between the two countries, which is restricted by the effects of the virus.
In addition, the two leaders are expected to hold discussions toward the conclusion of an agreement to pre-arrange the handling of weapons and ammunition in joint training between the Self-Defense Forces and the Australian Army.
Australia's largest trading partner is China, but in April, Prime Minister Morrison expressed his belief that an independent investigation into the source of the new coronavirus was needed, while China strongly opposed. Relations between the two countries are rapidly chilling, including the suspension of imports of some meat products from Australia.
Australia seems to have the aim of restraining China by strengthening cooperation with Japan, mainly in the fields of economy and security.
Australian expert "Japan is an important security partner"
Regarding this summit meeting, Senior Lecturer Thomas Wilkins of the University of Sydney, who is familiar with bilateral relations between Japan and Australia, said that discussions will be held mainly on security cooperation between the two countries in the Indo-Pacific region. It was.
He added, "Although Japan and Australia are strongly economically linked to China, there is a growing sense of crisis about China's actions in terms of security. The two leaders have shown that China is opposed to international rules. Will confirm the perception that the local security environment is deteriorating. "
On the other hand, Prime Minister Morrison will be quarantined as an infection control measure for 14 days after returning to Japan after visiting Japan, and will take measures such as parliamentary measures online.
Under these circumstances, regarding the reason why Prime Minister Morrison decided to visit Japan, Senior Lecturer Wilkins recognized that it is extremely important to establish a practical relationship with Prime Minister Suga as soon as possible and to advance cooperation in areas where interests are common. It's a sign of what we're doing. For Australia, Japan is the second most important partner in terms of security after its ally, the United States, "he said.