U.S. counters China with new Indo-Pacific framework

Japan has key role to play in moderating push to decouple from Beijing

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Malaysian Foreign Affairs Minister Saifuddin Abdullah hold a joint news conference after their meeting in Putrajaya, Malaysia on Dec. 15. © Reuters

HIROYUKI NISHIMURA, Nikkei senior staff writer

December 19, 2021 10:00 JST

TOKYO -- As the U.S. works on a new Indo-Pacific initiative to fill the economic void left by its exit from the former Trans-Pacific Partnership, countries worried about the widening rift between Washington and China are counting on Japan to help steer the effort.