Chinese leader Xi Jinping reportedly complained about Japan’s increased defense spending in an “intense diatribe” during his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump.
Tensions have risen considerably between Beijing and Tokyo since Japan’s prime minister said her country could come to the defense of Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its own — were China to attack the self-ruled island.
Analysts say that Beijing’s belligerence, including a massive military display in December and intensifying disputes with other countries, including Vietnam and the Philippines, has pushed regional nations to remilitarize. “As China becomes more aggressive and coercive, Japan will keep expanding its defense apparatus,” an expert wrote in Foreign Affairs.
