Japanese and European leaders took aim at China even as they announced a raft of deals to deepen ties at a summit in Tokyo, talks that were likely to stand in stark contrast to a similar meeting in Beijing on Thursday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/23/japan/politics/eu-japan-summit-china/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #china #eu #japan #eujapanrelations #pla #southchinasea #eastchinasea #disputedislands #taiwan #russiaukrainewar #northkorea

China's aggressiveness in the Indo-Pacific is rooted in long-standing strategic ambitions that have nothing to do with any U.S. policy, the Philippines' top defense official said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/09/asia-pacific/politics/philippine-defense-chief-us-china/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #china #philippines #southchinasea #us #asean

Australia, India, Japan and the United States used a meeting of “the Quad” to announce a deal to work more closely to secure supply chains for critical minerals, including rare earths — a sector dominated by China. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/02/japan/politics/quad-nations-critical-minerals-initiative/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #quad #us #australia #india #china #minerals #china #southchinasea #eastchinasea #northkorea