Beijing is speaking with its neighbor, Japan: Top diplomats from the two countries met in Tokyo on Wednesday. It marks their first formal security talks in four years.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong told his Japanese counterpart that China was troubled by Japan’s military build-up. He also criticized the nation for adopting, as he put it, a “Cold War mentality.” What’s more, Sun labeled Japan’s involvement in the Taiwan issue as “negative.”
Japan replied by listing a number of its own concerns, including its own interest in China’s stance toward Taiwan. Japan’s southernmost island is less than a hundred miles from Taiwan, and would likely be involved if Beijing chose to launch an attack on Taiwan.
Japan is pushing a record military spending jump this year, from 1 percent of its GDP to 2 percent.