"It cannot be more ironic that such attempt of stoking division and building blocs against other countries is put under the banner of 'free and open,'" the spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said in a statement Saturday.
The statement by the Japanese and U.S. leaders also mentioned the importance of “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait, marking the first time a Japanese prime minister had spoken out in a communique with the United States on Taiwan since 1969 talks between Richard Nixon and Eisaku Sato. Japan, long cautious in managing relations with its neighbor, has become more outspoken with Suga.
