Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense by video
Germany strengthens involvement in the Indo-Pacific region
Parliament building in Berlin, Germany. Getty Image Bank
It was reported on the 5th that Germany and Japan decided to hold a ‘2+2’ meeting on the 16th of this month with the participation of foreign ministers and defense ministers. It is known that this is the first time that the ‘2+2′ meeting between Germany and Japan will be held, and they will discuss the realization of a’free and open India-Pacific’ that checks China and cooperation in the security field. Germany plans to dispatch frigates to the Indo-Pacific region this summer, and plans to coordinate joint training of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces at this ‘2+2′ meeting. In addition, they agreed to share their opinions on the current issues in East Asia, including North Korea’s denuclearization and military coup situation in Myanmar, as well as the North Korean abduction issue raised by Japan. The two governments also signed an information protection agreement last month that stipulated comprehensive cooperation on the protection of confidential information in the field of diplomacy and security. Japan and Germany move closely because there is a part of the interest in the’India-Pacific’ region. Germany, Europe’s largest economy, adopted a policy guideline in September last year that contained the’Indo-Pacific Strategy’ to strengthen security and economic cooperation with Korea, Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to reduce dependence on China. This is the first policy guideline focused on the Indo-Pacific region. The newspaper reported that Japan has plans to expand cooperation with Germany, a key member of the European Union (EU), to create a trend to strengthen the involvement of the’Indo-Pacific’ region within Europe. Japan held a ‘2+2’ meeting with the UK in February, and the UK decided to dispatch a flyer of Queen Elizabeth carriers to the Indo-Pacific region this year and conduct joint training with the US. Last month, the US and Japan held a ‘2+2’ meeting and criticized China by discussing issues such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Xinjiang Uyghur. By Kim So-yeon, staff reporter