November 20, Wednesday, 2024

1. Chinese President Xi Jinping has held summits separately with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. The meetings apparently reflect Xi’s aim to strengthen economic ties with major EU members at a time when potential trade frictions are looming between China and the United States. 2. Japan’s Foreign Ministry says China has blamed an intrusion by one of its military planes into Japanese airspace in August on “force majeure”—or unanticipated circumstances beyond the control of the crew. The Japanese government lodged a strong protest after the Chinese military intelligence-gathering aircraft flew over waters off Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan. It has repeatedly demanded a swift and sufficient explanation.
3. Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has expressed his eagerness to build a cooperative relationship with US President-elect Donald Trump by analyzing what the incoming administration’s policies will likely be. The prime minister said it is not confrontation but mutual cooperation between Japan and the United States that benefits both countries as well as contributes to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.