France,Japan to strengthen military ties to counter China’s assertiveness

Brest,France, Jan 12: The foreign and defence ministers of two countries made the announcement on Friday about the launch of a new bilateral framework to discuss maritime security and environmental issues amid China’s growing assertiveness. The first meeting is expected to be held by the end of the year.
The “two plus two” security talk was held in the French northwest coastal city of Brest.The ministers also expressed strong concern over the situation in the disputed East and South China seas and agreed to continue to cooperate toward dealing with North Korea’s denuclearization.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Defence Minister Florence Parly, along with their counterparts Taro Kono and Takeshi Iwaya, said “We strongly oppose unilateral actions heightening tension” in the disputed waters, reports The Japan Times. The statement was aimed at countering Chin a’s assertiveness in the East and South China seas. 
The two countries also agreed during the security talks to regularly hold joint military exercises between the Self-Defense Forces and the French Armed Forces.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific Stategy” based on freedom of navigation and the rule of law, Japan has been boosting cooperation with France.
On the”compreh ensi ve” maritime dialogue, Japanese and French officials from ministries concerned will discuss various maritime issues ranging from freedom of navigation and sustainable development to ocean plastic was te.
Japan and France agreed on a plan to hold a joint drill in the Indian Ocean that will involve the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle by the end of the year.
On North Korea, the two countries reaffirmed the need to demand that Pyongyang comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions over its nuclear and missile development programs, and France agreed to contribute more to crack down on ship-to-ship transfers of goods being used by North Korea to get around U.N. sanctions.
The countries also agreed to enhance cooperation on sharing defense supplies based on an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement signed by Kono and Parly last July.
Brest hosts one of the biggest French naval ports and the city has a graveyard in which five crew members of a Japanese merchant vessel sunk by a German U-boat in 1916 are buried.UNI