Japan, Pacific islands to oppose status quo changes amid China clout

Japan and Pacific island nations are set to express their strong opposition to any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force or coercion amid China's growing clout in the region during a summit next week, a draft of the meeting's declaration showed Saturday.At the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting to be held in Tokyo on July 16-18, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also plans to announce more than 60 billion yen ($380 million) in development aid over the next three years to counter China's influence and bring the island nations closer to Japan, sources close to the matter said.Rega…READ FULL ARTICLE