Tokyo (TDI): Overshadowed by the recent rift over President Joe Biden’s blocking of Nippon Steel’s takeover of US Steel, top US diplomat Antony Blinken started a visit to Japan on Tuesday, while claiming that the alliance between the two nations is stronger than ever.
Some Chinese observers interpreted Blinken’s trip to Japan as having limited practical importance, viewing it more as a symbolic gesture seeking to assure Tokyo that their alliance remains robust even after the next administration assumes office.
However, this reassurance is surrounded by uncertainties, they argued, Global Times reported.
“I think one of the things that we are proud of is the strength of these ties, of this partnership, of this allyship. And it’s actually stronger than it’s ever been,” Blinken said, ahead of his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi, according to a press note by the US department of state on Tuesday.
On January 3, US President Joe Biden blocked the 14.9 billion dollars purchase of US Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel.
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The business groups were reported as saying that “the move could have a serious effect on Japan’s position as the biggest foreign investor in the United States.”
Nippon Steel Corp and US Steel Corp, on Monday filed two lawsuits seeking to protect their merger plan from “unlawful and improper political and anticompetitive interference” after it was blocked by President Joe Biden last week.
Japan’s PM Warns of Potential Repercussions
The announcement came as Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba warned of potential repercussions from Biden’s move for the close business relations between the two nations, and urged a detailed explanation of the Biden’s reasoning for barring the $14.1 billion agreement, which he said creates a national security risk.
“I will strongly urge Washington to respond toward dispelling the concerns,” the Japanese Prime Minister said during his first media conference of the year on Monday.
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Iwaya and Blinken held a working lunch for nearly 90 minutes on Tuesday, and “the two figures concurred on continuing working closely together to further uphold and bolster the bilateral ties, which have become stronger than ever,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
