The rise of China is a "threat" to the Indo-Pacific region, Latvia's Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins said recently while calling for deeper cooperation between Japan and Europe to protect the international order.
While Beijing steps up military pressure on Taiwan, a territory it regards as a renegade province to be unified with the mainland, Karins said in a recent interview with Kyodo News in Belgium there is a danger China will attempt to change the status quo by force, which he labeled as "not acceptable."
The former prime minister of Latvia remarked on his nation's "long-standing good cooperation" with Taiwan, having maintained active trade with the self-ruled island since the 1990s, and emphasized the importance of maintaining the established order.
He also said Japan and Europe share the same values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law, adding that the two sides "have to look for more ways how we can cooperate and work together."
During Karin's tenure as premier from 2019 to 2023, Latvia withdrew from Beijing's signature Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative, the 2022 decision taken due to a lack of discernable benefits for the small Baltic nation.
Meanwhile, Karins pointed out Europe's growing awareness of the importance of the Indo-Pacific.
"I think there is a realization that what happens in the Indo-Pacific affects us as much as what happens in Europe affects the Indo-Pacific," he said, citing the global disruption caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Karins said Russia will remain a "long-term threat" even if Ukraine emerges victorious, and the way to contain Moscow is for Europe and NATO to be strong, as that is what Russia "understands."
Karins said Latvia learned lessons from being too dependent on neighboring Russia for energy and suffering soaring costs after Moscow invaded Ukraine. In regards to China, he said he believes the best way to move forward is "de-risking, not decoupling."
While noting the many benefits ongoing trade brings, he said "to be too dependent on anyone is never a good idea," adding, "We need a more coherent European policy with China."
