Japanese Prime Minister's visit to Kyiv symbolizes competition with China for leadership in Pacific region

The visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to Ukraine during the war against the background of the Chinese leader's trip to Russia is a sign of a bid for greater competitiveness and leadership in the region

This was stated by political expert Volodymyr Tsybulko on Espreso TV.

"The fact that the Prime Minister of Japan visits Ukraine simultaneously (with Xi Jinping's trip to Russia - ed.) is a symbolic transfer to the level of the struggle for leadership in the Pacific region. Japan is stepping up its international activity, following in Xi's footsteps, even ahead of him. What is the power of symbolism - a visit to another warring country during a war is a sign of a bid for greater competitiveness and leadership in the region. It seems to me that Japan is now dynamically increasing its defense budget, and this is a symbol of an attempt to play a greater role than just a neighbor of China," he said.

• On March 20, Xi Jinping had an informal meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. It lasted 4.5 hours.

• During his meeting with Putin, Xi Jinping said that China would continue to play a constructive role in resolving the "Ukrainian issue." According to the Russian leader, Russia has carefully studied China's "peace plan" and is open to negotiations.

• On March 21, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Kyiv. The visit was not scheduled.