Head of the EU Commission on a visit to Japan: Ursula Von der Leyen calls Russia "the most direct threat to the world order"

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EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on a visit to Japan: Russia is "the most direct threat to the world order"

Photo: POOL / REUTERS

During a visit to Japan, the heads of the European Union warned against foreign policy cooperation between Russia and China.

In particular, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen criticized Moscow in clear terms: Russia "is today, with its barbaric war against Ukraine and its worrying pact with China, the most direct threat to the world order," she said on Thursday after talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Kishida emphasized: "Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not just a European matter, but shakes the core of the international order, including Asia." This should "not be tolerated".

Contrary to earlier reticence in other conflicts, Japan had joined the West's heavy sanctions against Moscow from the start.

Focus on Indo-Pacific

Cooperation on the Ukraine crisis is "of crucial importance for Europe, but also for the Indo-Pacific region," stressed EU Council President Charles Michel.

He announced that the EU and Japan also intend to "deepen their consultations on a more confident China."

According to von der Leyen, the economic powerhouses agreed on an intensified partnership with a focus on competitiveness and security of supply.

They wanted to work together to secure the supply chains, which had recently come under pressure again, and the production of semiconductors.

"We need to be able to rely on trustworthy supply chains," she said.

Investments against Beijing

The commission president also urged cooperation on infrastructure investments in the region to stand up to China.

"The need for investment is enormous, and the possibilities are limited."

Investment credit "often comes with a price no country should pay, such as encroaching on its sovereignty," she said, alluding to criticism of China's investment activity under its so-called New Belt and Road Initiative.

Meanwhile, Michel said the two sides had discussed "ways to strengthen our cooperation in the areas of security and defense."

Kishida pointed to tensions in the South and East China Seas, where Tokyo fears Beijing is increasingly trying to lay claim to disputed areas.

Von der Leyen and Michel are expected to have a working lunch with Kishida on Thursday.

Michel will visit Hiroshima on Friday.

col/AFP