Asia was spared from the scolding of U.S. Vice President JD Vance this past weekend at the Munich Security Conference, where a fiery speech by the vice president “stunned” some European delegates and stirred debate about Washington’s foreign policy priorities.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered the conference’s keynote speech, which was a marked contrast to Vance’s address. Wang portrayed China as a champion of the so-called ‘Global South’ and a responsible, stable power in a world marked by “uncertainty, chaos, and confusion.”
On the margins of the annual event — after the dust had settled — Indo-Pacific leaders and diplomats met and mixed to discuss tensions in the South China Sea, North Korea, and defence spending.
Joly and the G7
As part of Canada's 2025 G7 presidency, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly convened a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting on the margins of the Munich conference. The resulting joint statement opposed China’s attempts to “restrict freedom of navigation through militarization and coercive activities” in the South China Sea and any attempt to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific region “by force.”
A recent U.S.-Japan statement contained stronger language on the issue, opposing “force” as well as “coercion,” understood to mean any economic or ‘gray-zone’ tactics deployed by Beijing.
The next meeting of G7 foreign ministers will take place in Charlevoix, Que., from March 12–14. Canada’s G7 priorities remain relatively vague for now, encompassing “peace and security, global economic stability, and growth.” The selection of a new Liberal leader — and, by extension, Canada’s next prime minister — on March 9 may provide the direction needed for more specific priorities.
Out with the old, in with the new
In Munich, Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. held their first joint meeting since Trump returned to the White House in January. Foreign ministers from the three countries met to reaffirm their “unshakable partnership,” and released a statement criticizing North Korea (and China, though not by name), while supporting Taiwan.
Japan and South Korea — although not yet exempt from the blanket barrage of incoming U.S. tariffs — seem to have emerged as ‘trusted partners’ for a U.S. administration that has treated some long-time allies, such as Europe and Canada, with contempt or hostility.
These actions may be part of a broader U.S. shift in focus (and resources) from Europe to Asia. Last week, for example, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth implored European countries to boost defence spending to five per cent of their GDP — partly so that the U.S. could focus on Asia.
Hegseth said in Brussels that “the ambitions of the communist Chinese are a threat to free people everywhere, including America's interests in the Pacific.” He added that “it makes sense” for the U.S., along with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia, to “project power [in the Indo-Pacific] in service of deterrence.”
