TOKYO, November 5. /TASS/. The United States will keep its policy of maintaining strategic stability in relations with China, Tsuneo Watanabe, a senior fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, told TASS as he commented on results of the midterm elections in the US.
"At this point, maintaining strategic stability with China remains the established policy," he said, adding that no changes are expected in relations between Washington and Tokyo either. "Since personal relationships play a major role in President [of US Donald] Trump’s foreign policy, I believe there will be few major changes as long as his relationship with Prime Minister [of Japan Sanae] Takaichi does not deteriorate," said Japan’s leading foreign policy expert.
Watanabe also views the stance of the US Democratic Party, which has secured a majority in Congress as per American media estimates, on the issue of Taiwan as a positive factor for Japan. "Since maintaining the US-Japan alliance enjoys bipartisan support in Congress - and the Democratic-controlled Congress is committed to the alliance and Taiwan’s security - this serves as a reassuring factor," he noted when asked about the election results’ impact on Japan.
That said, "if congressional investigations into Mr. Trump’s alleged corruption proceed and he is cornered, it is impossible to predict what he might do, and all of the rational predictions outlined above would become meaningless," the expert emphasized. Before the voting, some Democrats promised that they would investigate the credibility of information regarding the Trump family’s involvement in corruption in the event of their election win.
On November 3, the United States held midterm elections. Americans voted for 35 out of 100 senators and all 435 members of the House of Representatives. Voters also elected governors in 36 states and territories. According to the latest estimates from US media, the Democrats are set to secure a majority of seats in both chambers of the new Congress. Currently, the Republicans hold the majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.