Pelosi, Kishida vow to protect peace in Taiwan Strait

Tokyo, Aug 5 (EFE).- Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and United States House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday wowed to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as Kishida condemned missiles fired into Japanese waters by China.

During a breakfast in Tokyo, on the last stop on Pelosi’s Asia tour, the pair exchanged views on the global situation, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and achieving a world without nuclear weapons, the Japanese leader told reporters after the meeting.

Kishida conveyed to Pelosi Japan’s condemnation of at least five ballistic missiles fired by China falling into its waters on Thursday during Beijing’s military maneuvers to protest the US envoy’s visit to Taiwan, and called Beijing’s attitude a serious problem for Japan’s security.

“China’s behavior has a serious impact on the peace and stability of the region and the world and I explained that we called for an immediate halt to the exercises,” said the Japanese leader.

Kishida and Pelosi also stressed they would “work together to make sure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are maintained.”

The strait is the scene of extensive military maneuvers by Chinese troops with live fire that began Thursday in retaliation for Pelosi’s visit to the island, which Beijing considers to be part of its territory.

Taipei considers these exercises a violation of their rights, since they have caused the closure of maritime and air space in six areas around the island, one of them about 20 kilometers from the coast of Kaohsiung, the main city in the south of Taiwan.

After Taiwan, Pelosi traveled to South Korea and arrived in Japan Thursday for the last stop of her tour.

In addition to her meeting with the Japanese prime minister, she is scheduled to meet later Friday with her Japanese counterpart, Hiroyuki Hosoda, and visit the US embassy in Tokyo. EFE

mra-yk/tw