India-Japan ties ‘should not target’ Beijing, says China

A day after India and Japan signed a series of agreements to boost supply chains and energy resilience, China said on Friday that the partnership between New Delhi and Tokyo “should not target” Beijing, reported AFP.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun was quoted as saying that countries should work to “foster understanding and trust”.

“Cooperation between nations...should not target or harm the interests of third parties, let alone serve as a pretext for forming exclusive cliques or stoking confrontation,” added Jiakun.

On Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi, who is on a three-day visit to New Delhi.

They agreed to work more closely on critical minerals to boost resilience in their supply chains.

After the talks, Takaichi told reporters that both Japan and India were facing challenges including “weaponisation of the economy and non-market policies and practices”.

Her statement came in the wake of deteriorating ties between Tokyo and Beijing. In November, Takaichi said that Japan could intervene militarily to help protect Taiwan in the event of a potential Chinese invasion.

While China claims the democratically governed island as its territory, Taiwan has rejected Beijing’s sovereignty claims and has prioritised boosting the island’s homegrown defence capabilities.

Takaichi’s statement had resulted in Chinese authorities restricting flows of rare earths to Japan.

India and Japan are part of the Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, which also comprises the United States and Australia.

In May, the Quad also announced initiatives to improve collaboration on critical minerals and emerging technology.

The Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework is designed to help the four countries coordinate investments to strengthen critical mineral supply chains.

Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.