According to Kyodo News on May 8, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshiaki Shigeki held a meeting with the foreign ministers of four Eastern European countries in the Polish capital of Warsaw on the morning of May 7, and the participating countries agreed on the importance of maintaining a free and open international order based on the rule of law in view of China’s expanding influence on Eastern Europe, and also confirmed the policy of continuing cooperation in a wide range of fields such as economics and science and technology.
Shigeki expressed serious concern about China’s attempts to unilaterally change the status quo in the East and South China Seas, including the Marine Police Act, which allows the Marine Police Bureau to use weapons, and the situation in Hong Kong and other areas. After the meeting, Shigeki held an online press conference, stressing that he “expressed his views on various Chinese actions and attempts that should be of concern, and the other side listened carefully.
Later, Shigeki also held separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
Poland is now the chair of the four-nation Eastern European regional grouping (V4) with Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. These countries are all involved in China’s “Belt and Road” economic belt concept and other efforts to promote economic cooperation with China, and there are many Japanese companies in the region.
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