What is China doing in the Taiwan Straits? Why is American ally Japan "very worried" about China's recent military activities near Taiwan? Dr. Sheila A. Smith, John E. Merow senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, explains the diplomatic, historic and economic ties between China and Japan, their ongoing conflict over a territorial dispute -- and what the rising tensions may mean.

Dr. Smith says, "Japan is not likely to really take on China head on. Because again, it has deep economic interests in the relationship. But Japan is an ally of the United States. Japan is worried about Chinese military power that operates increasingly in proximity to Chinese territorial waters and airspace. And it's very worried about the way the Chinese military are operating in and around Taiwan. And for your listeners who don't know the geography of that region, the southern islands of Japan are about 100 kilometers or a couple 100 miles, right, less than a couple 100 miles from each other. So anything that happens across the Taiwan straits has immediate and proximate influence on the security of Japan."

This interview was recorded in 2021.

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