Historical Development,Characteristic Analysisand Effect Evaluation of the Japan-Mekong Summit
Japan initiated the partnership with the five Mekong countries in 2009.Following that,the regular summits of the six-party leaders have formed a stable cooperation mechanism,which can strengthen Japan's economic and political influence in the Mekong region and allow the Mekong countries to raise their national strength and political status through Japan's substantial aid and cooperation projects.The annual Japan-Mekong Summit,now totaling 12 times,has experienced two phases:inception and development.However,events such as the COVID-19 outbreak in 2019 and the coup in Myanmar in 2021 led to a standstill.Presently,Japan opts for separate meetings with leaders of the four Mekong countries except Myanmar to discuss aid,coopera-tion and regional issues.However,as the most important cooperation mechanism between Japan and the Mekong region,the re-start of the Japan-Mekong Summit is only a matter of time.Throughout its development,the summit demonstrates distinctive fea-tures.Politically,Japan has led the political agenda of the summit,setting up three major regional and global political issues,i.e.,the North Korean nuclear issue,the South China Sea issue and the reform of the United Nations Security Council,to let the Me-kong countries support Japan's position.Economically,Japan emphasizes"high-quality"infrastructure projects to enhance its competitiveness in providing infrastructure solutions.In terms of mechanism interaction,Japan intends to align regional initiatives with global ones and enhance coordination with the US-Mekong partnership.Overall,the Japan-Mekong Summit has improved the quality and efficiency of the connectivity construction in the Mekong region.Simultaneously,extensive exchanges between Japanese and Mekong experts promote people-to-people ties and mutual understanding,and contribute to environmental gover-nance in the Mekong region.Nevertheless,Japan's political ambitions through economic cooperation face challenges due to dif-fering political stances and national interests among participating countries.Moreover,Japan's disregard for international public opinion in discharging nuclear wastewater and the problems in its economic zone development contradict the spirit of the Japan-Mekong Summit.
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