China joins naval forum in Japan after skipping fleet review

Actions reflect balancing act Chinese foreign policy has to perform

Chinese Vice Adm. Wang Dazhong, front row second from left, attends the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Yokohama, Japan, on Nov. 7. U.S. Navy chief Mike Gilday is seen in the center of the back row. (Photo by Ken Moriyasu)

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

November 7, 2022 17:50 JST

YOKOHAMA, Japan -- Wang Dazhong, a vice admiral of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, attended the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Yokohama on Monday -- a day after his nation skipped an international fleet review in waters off Japan.

Taken together, the two actions reflect the balancing act Chinese foreign policy has to perform: participating in a forum that was set up during the Cold War to manage regional security but refusing an invitation from Japan to join a display of maritime force involving 39 vessels from 13 nations.