In Japan, Foreign Minister Toshimichi Mogi (pictured) released the 2021 Diplomatic Blue Book at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (27).
In Japan, Foreign Minister Toshimichi Mogi released the 2021 “Diplomatic Blue Book” at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (27), saying that China’s increased military strength and more frequent activities in the East China Sea and South China Sea “have become a strong concern for the security of the region and the international community”. The Blue Book on Diplomacy also mentions the Sino-US tug-of-war and concludes that “the balance of power in the international community is undergoing significant changes”. The Blue Book also includes a section on Hong Kong and Xinjiang. (By Fang Dehao)
The Blue Book, produced annually by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says that the activities of Chinese maritime police vessels around the Diaoyu Islands (known as the Senkaku Islands) violate international law, and that the Chinese “Maritime Police Law” allows the maritime police to use force, which the Blue Book also expresses “deep suspicion. According to the Blue Book, the CCP’s military spending has increased approximately 44-fold over the past 30 years, and its military expansion and frequent maritime activities have caused “strong doubts about the security of the region and the international community, including Japan”. The wording is significantly stronger than last year’s “regional and international community’s ‘common concern'”.
Regarding the visit of Chinese Communist Party President Xi Jinping to Japan, the Blue Book only states that “we should focus on quelling the epidemic and have not reached the stage of coordinating the agenda,” which is a clear step backward from the “re-coordination” of the 2020 edition of the Blue Book.
As for the human rights issue of the Uighurs in Xinjiang, which was almost completely untouched last year, the Blue Book, which documents the recent international situation and diplomatic trends, also states this year that it has “deep doubts”. The Blue Book, which is based on its own diplomatic position, describes “the international community, including Japan, as having repeatedly expressed major concerns” about the CCP’s push for a “Hong Kong state security law” in Hong Kong.
The Blue Book includes a section on the earlier meeting between Prime Minister Kan and U.S. President Joe Biden, but the paragraph in question stops short of mentioning the “importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” which was included in the U.S.-Japan joint statement, which, according to Kyodo News, may have been in response to Chinese protests. However, the “Blue Book” on Taiwan continues the position and wording of last year, saying that Taiwan is “an extremely important partner and important friend” to Japan, and reiterates its support for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer.
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