The following is an editorial from today's Sankei Shimbun titled Democracy Camps Unite on July 29, 2020.
The U.S. has shut down its Chinese consulate general in Houston, Texas, citing it as a base for espionage and intellectual property theft.
China seized the U.S. consulate general in Chengdu, Sichuan province, as a countermeasure, and the U.S.-China confrontation developed into an unusual situation in which both sides closed their diplomatic missions abroad.
U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo's speech on the Trump administration's policy toward China was a message amid this situation.
It can be described as a declaration of all-out confrontation with China.
Pompeo criticized the Chinese Communist Party for "preying on our free and open society" and declared that President Xi Jinping "is a believer in totalitarianism and continues to harbor ambitions for hegemony.
He also stressed that a free society must prevail over a totalitarian state.
This perception is correct.
All democracies, including Japan, must share a sense of urgency and defend their sovereignty, national interests, freedom, and rule.
It is worth noting that Pompeo called for the need to build a "new alliance of democracies" to counter China.
China has refused to listen to the concerns of the G7 advanced seven-powered countries and others about tightening control of Hong Kong.
It has completely ignored the suggestion that effective control and militarization of the South China Sea are illegal.
On the other hand, backed by its economic power, it attempts to form a "majority" in the international community by infiltrating the iron-fist rule state from which the West has distanced itself, poor and developing countries seeking aid, and even international organizations.
The unity of democracies with shared values is essential to crushing China's "hegemonic ambitions."
The United States will probably lead in this "new alliance."
If so, President Trump should set up an appropriate forum to raise China's problems and appeal to countries to unite to address them.
In a speech at the end of May in which he criticized the tightening of control over Hong Kong, Mr. Trump expressed his commitment to an all-out confrontation with China.
Mr. Trump is being asked to have leadership integrating a democratic nation and his ability to act internationally, such as the G7.
He must change his past disregard for the alliance.
Japan's close relationship with the U.S. and China means it cannot afford to ignore the escalating conflict between the two countries.
As a neighboring country and a democracy under threat from China, Japan must be prepared to engage in the conflict in concert with the United States.
2023/3/7, in Kyoto
