Pelosi's visit to China's Taiwan seriously damages regional peace, stability, says Japanese scholar

TOKYO, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Washington's reneging on its promises on the Taiwan question is detrimental to both China-U.S. relations and peace and stability in Asia, Atsushi Koketsu, a Japanese scholar, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Koketsu, emeritus professor at Yamaguchi University, said while the current U.S. administration has claimed it adheres to the one-China policy, it still allowed Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to visit China's Taiwan region, which caused nothing but harm.

Koketsu pointed out that international politics needs to be built on the foundation of credibility and responsibility, and Pelosi's visit to Taiwan has shown that the U.S. government is neither credible nor responsible.

Regarding the United States now actively promoting the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and peddling the "Indo-Pacific strategy," Koketsu noted that by pursuing these multinational military alliances, the United States is seeking hegemony based on military supremacy.

The current Japan-U.S. alliance and its "Indo-Pacific strategy" serve the only purpose of maintaining U.S. hegemony in Asia, and will only increase regional tension and insecurity, Koketsu said.

What Asia needs now is political responsibility for strengthening economic ties to help regional countries get out of poverty and strive for prosperity, he said, adding that the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative is aimed at supporting economic growth and enhancing peace and stability in Asia.

Koketsu expressed concern that recently, Japan joined other members of the Group of Seven and the European Union in issuing a wrong Taiwan-related statement, and published its 2022 defense white paper, in which it hyped up the so-called "China threat" to justify its own military build-up.

The United States is trying to win the contest with China to realize global hegemony, Koketsu noted, urging Japan to build equal relations with the United States as well as independent and friendly relations with neighboring China in order to help maintain peace and stability in Asia.

He warned the Japanese government that blindly making political judgments based on U.S. posture will only cast a dark cloud over Japan-China relations and the regional situation.