May 27, 2023

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently said that Japan is considering the establishment of a NATO liaison office. The news has sparked widespread concern and great vigilance in the global community, especially among countries in the Asia-Pacific region. According to a poll conducted by CGTN, 71.1 percent of the respondents expressed their strong opposition and protest.

The United States and the NATO it leads have been active in the Asia-Pacific region recently. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg visited Japan recently, trying to strengthen the ties between NATO and Asia-Pacific countries, proposing to create an "Asia-Pacific version of NATO." According to this, one netizen pointed out that "NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, not the Pacific Ocean, much less Asia."

Ninety percent of global respondents in the survey believe that NATO's attempts to extend its influence into the Asia-Pacific region are cause for great alarm; 84.6 percent of respondents believe that this will seriously jeopardize the peace and stability in Asia-Pacific region. A further 92 percent of respondents were concerned that such a move may escalate the arms race among countries and further exacerbate tensions in the region.

Read more:

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-05-27/70-of-people-oppose-NATO-s-involvement-in-Asia-Pacific-CGTN-poll-1k9uGiBWSCQ/index.html