Leaders from the European Union and Japan unveiled a new alliance on Wednesday aimed at strengthening economic ties, promoting free trade, and addressing unfair trade practices amid increasing pressures from the United States and China.
The announcement followed a high-level meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. This development comes shortly after Tokyo and Washington finalized a trade agreement that reduces U.S. tariffs on Japanese automobiles and other products from 25% to 15%.
According to a joint statement from the EU, the new “competitiveness alliance” will focus on enhancing trade, economic security, and cooperation in innovation, energy, and other strategic sectors.
The leaders emphasized their commitment to maintaining a stable, predictable, rules-based, and fair economic order. They also reaffirmed the critical role of Japan-EU collaboration in supporting the multilateral trading system centered around the World Trade Organization, along with other international cooperative efforts.
In addition to economic collaboration, the EU and Japan agreed to bolster defense industry cooperation and initiate discussions on an information security agreement.
Both parties have been intensifying their security and defense partnership in response to escalating global tensions and conflicts, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, unrest in the Middle East, and China’s increasing military assertiveness in Asia. They recognize that challenges facing Europe and the Indo-Pacific region are interconnected and require joint responses.
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