Rubio believes US can cooperate with Japan, China despite tensions between them

Bloomberg stated this in an article, according to Ukrinform.

"We feel very strongly that we can continue with our strong, firm partnership and alliance with Japan, and do so in a way that continues to allow us to find productive ways to work together with the Chinese," Rubio said at a press conference in Washington.

Relations between the two Asian countries have been strained since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi angered Beijing by saying that her country's troops could assist Taiwan in the event of a crisis.

As relations between the two neighbors deteriorated, US President Donald Trump intervened in an effort to de-escalate the conflict and preserve a trade truce with Beijing, the publication writes.

"There'll be points of tension. We well recognize that, and our job is to balance these two things. I think both sides understand that," Rubio said.

According to him, China will "continue to be a rich and powerful country and a factor in geopolitics."

"We have to have relations with them. The US can balance the need to deal with tensions associated with China and the need to collaborate. We can do that without imperiling or in any way undermining our very firm commitment to our partners in the Indo-Pacific," Rubio added.

As Ukrinform reported, on December 7 the Japanese government lodged a strong protest with China after Chinese fighter jets locked fire-control radar systems onto Japanese military aircraft. Beijing rejected Tokyo's protest over the incident and said that Japan's military itself often engages in actions that threaten China's security.

In November, the Chinese government also issued a strong protest to Japan over remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding a possible armed conflict over Taiwan.