The U.S.-Japan 2+2 talks, followed by a joint statement, jointly attacked China for not adhering to the international order and criticized China for its poor human rights, saying that China “systematically encroaches on Hong Kong‘s autonomy, undermines Taiwan‘s democracy, destroys human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, and violates international law in the South China Sea.” The harsh words and blunt language are unprecedented for Japan alone. Moreover, from Prime Minister Kan to Japan’s defense minister, all of them have criticized China’s actions by name on different occasions.
With deep interests, close neighbors and various other factors, Japan has always tried to maintain a balanced relationship with China, even after the June 4 Incident in 1989, when Japan was widely criticized for its rather restrained response compared to other Western countries, but now it seems to be a change of era.
After Japan encountered fierce criticism from China following the U.S.-Japan joint statement, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimichi Mogi told the media on the evening of the 17th that he “has confirmed that there will be no concessions on common values such as democracy and human rights.” He made it clear that Japan would also not concede on human rights and maritime activities in order to maintain economic ties with China.
More importantly, openly and harshly criticizing China, Japan is not i subordinate to the United States, but clearly and unmistakably its own choice. This is evident from the public statements of Japanese Ambassador to Beijing Hideo Chui. On Thursday, Japanese Ambassador to Beijing Hideo Chui visited Tianjin and met with Li Hongzhong, a member of the Chinese Communist Party‘s Politburo and Secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Committee, who moved along the lines of China’s past treatment of Japan, strongly condemning “Japan’s blatant criticism of China’s internal affairs and interference in issues such as Hong Kong, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and Taiwan, which clearly undermine the improving relations between the two countries. I deeply regret it.”
The Japanese ambassador’s response could not be clearer, Hideo Chui said, “If there are problems between the two countries, they should be properly communicated and resolved, and I cannot accept Secretary Li’s statement at all!” What a one-on-one, tit-for-tat. China is not sure if it realizes that Japan’s traditionally tolerant diplomacy is a thing of the past.
China’s anger following the tough U.S.-Japanese statement against Beijing on Wednesday can be seen in Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian‘s derogatory remarks against Japan. Zhao criticized Japan for “looking up to others” and “working in cahoots” and warned Japan not to “act as a vassal of the United States” and “not to draw wolves into the house. “The Chinese government has been criticizing China by name.
Japan criticized China by name, and the Chinese side was so angry that it could hardly be dispelled and wanted to take advantage of the Japanese ambassador’s visit to Tianjin to further express its discontent. Li Hongzhong tried to convey Beijing’s anger back to Japan through the Japanese ambassador, but apparently to no avail, and was disliked by the Japanese ambassador on the spot.
Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the official media ‘Global Times’, also seemed surprised by Japan’s reaction, saying that “this is one of the most strongly worded statements against China in all the U.S.-Japan 2+2 talks,” claiming that Washington’s attitude clearly dominated the change. By bowing to Washington’s position, Japan is handing a new pitch to the U.S., which has changed administrations. This will erode Beijing’s trust in the coherence of Tokyo’s attitude toward improving relations with China.”
Hu concluded by threatening, “I hope that U.S. allies, including Japan, will always have their heads on straight and not think that it is safe to defect to the United States, only to hand the United States a bill of attainder on China that they simply cannot afford to pay. Hu Xijin forgets that between Japan and the United States, there exists a security treaty, Japan has always been an ally of the United States, there is no question of defection, China and Japan are neighbors, but there has never been an alliance relationship.
Whether Zhao Lijian, Li Hongzhong or Hu Xijin, they all forget that Japan’s attitude is so clear that freezing is not a day’s cold. China’s frequent “access” to the disputed Diaoyu Islands, as Japan calls the Senkaku Islands, and its “expansion” in the “East China Sea and South China Sea” have naturally done little to strengthen bilateral relations, while Japanese public opinion has been critical of China’s corrupting human rights situation, undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy, and the massive detention of Uighurs in Xinjiang. The mass incarceration of Uighurs in Xinjiang and the unusual sensitivity to Taiwan’s step-by-step pressure have led the Japanese government to constantly adjust its strategy towards China, which is why the Tokyo authorities no longer mention the planned state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Japan for a major reason, sources in the Japanese government revealed that the state visit would have to be arranged for Xi Jinping to meet with The Emperor, and the current antipathy of the Japanese towards China has reached an unprecedented level. It is obviously impossible to arrange such a meeting.
The Xi Jinping regime’s international image is seriously poor, making more and more enemies in the world, Japan is originally a friend of the United States, in the United States need to unite allies to counterbalance China’s situation, the United States-Japan relations to strengthen more natural.
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