Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. Photo: VCG

TheMKS sports Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced on Monday that Tokyo will establish a framework for dialogue with the Pacific Islands nations and offer $3 million to them to address climate change after Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Baron Devavesi Waqa. 

While there is no mention of China in Japan's official statements, Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun had already published three articles before the meeting claiming that the move was meant to counter the presence of China in the region. 

Experts criticized the newspaper's portrayal of China as an adversary, saying this reflects certain Japanese media outlets' habitual thinking and petty calculations. China always holds an open and inclusive attitude in conducting cooperation with other countries, they noted.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Iwaya held a meeting with Waqa, who is visiting Japan at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, on Monday morning. 

During the meeting, Iwaya conveyed that Japan has decided to contribute $3 million to the "Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF)" as part of its efforts to address climate change, read the press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Both sides confirmed that they would launch a senior officials dialogue between Japan and the PIF Secretariat to strengthen communication in order to further solidify their cooperative relationship.

In contrast to the Japanese government's official remarks or statements lacking any mention of China, Yomiuri Shimbun on Saturday and Sunday released three reports about the meeting, with all of them saying that Tokyo's envisaged dialogue framework with the PIF Secretariat aims to counter China's growing influence over Pacific Island nations.

While the Yomiuri Shimbun's Sunday report said that China has been increasing its influence by leveraging large-scale infrastructure development aid in the region, another report from Yomiuri Shimbun on Saturday said that in 2022 the Solomon Islands signed a security agreement that reportedly allows for the deployment of Chinese military forces, raising concerns about China's expanding influence as a security issue for Japan. 

Against the backdrop of US strategic retrenchment, Japan intends to expand its geopolitical influence in the South Pacific region through economic leverage, with a major goal being to curb China's presence in the region, said Xiang Haoyu, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times. 

Xiang said Yomiuri Shimbun's attempt to sensationalize this issue reflects certain Japanese media outlets' geostrategic zero-sum mentality and bloc confrontation. "The US' cuts to international aid have heightened Japan's sense of urgency, prompting it to fill the potential vacuum left by Washington's retreat," Xiang explained. 

Xiang also pointed out that the Yomiuri Shimbun's claim concerning the deployment of Chinese troops in the Solomon Islands is baseless. The security pact between China and the Solomon Islands is open and transparent with clear terms and scope, representing normal bilateral cooperation. It is not directed at any third party and does not pose a threat to regional security, Xiang added.

The Yomiuri Shimbun's portrayal of China reflects an unbalanced and erroneous mindset, Chen Hong, executive director of the Asia Pacific Studies Centre at East China Normal University, told the Global Times.

Chen said that China has consistently held an open attitude toward cooperation with other countries outside the South Pacific region. "China seeks to jointly contribute to local economic development and improvements in people's livelihoods," Chen added.