TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The leaders of Japan and New Zealand effectively agreed Wednesday on a pact to enhance their classified information sharing, as the regional security environment becomes more severe amid China's growing military assertiveness.
During their talks in Tokyo, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon also confirmed that their nations will bolster cooperation in the economic security field.
Luxon was making his first trip to Japan since taking office in November 2023. He replaced Chris Hipkins after his National Party beat Hipkins' Labour Party in a general election.
He agreed with Kishida on the significance of working together to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific, a vision advocated by Japan in a veiled bid to counter China.
In a joint statement released after their meeting, Kishida and Luxon expressed concerns over the situation in the South China Sea, home to some of the world's busiest sea lanes, as China has built a number of artificial islands with military infrastructure there.
Kishida and Luxon also condemned that country's unilateral provocations in the East China Sea. It has frequently sent its coast guard vessels near the uninhabited, Japan-controlled, China-claimed Senkaku Islands in the waters.
As for Taiwan, "The leaders restated the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and called for peaceful resolution of cross-Strait issues," the statement said. China views Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary.
China and self-ruled democratic Taiwan have been separately governed since they split in 1949 as the result of a civil war. Late last month, Beijing conducted drills around Taiwan, which it called a "strong punishment" for those seeking the island's independence.
As North Korea has allegedly transferred weapons to Russia since it invaded Ukraine in 2022, Kishida and Luxon criticized their military cooperation, while agreeing to join hands to strengthen supply chains of strategic goods.
Japan and New Zealand, meanwhile, reaffirmed their collaboration toward the success of the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting scheduled for July.
Tokyo has hosted the gathering, which involves 19 nations and territories, including Australia and New Zealand, every three years since 1997 to discuss important regional issues, such as development aid, security, climate change and tourism.
