Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi (王毅) in Beijing on Wednesday last week, recognizing the two countries as “partners” instead of “threats.”
Iwaya outlined a plan to ease visa requirements for Chinese tourists and agreed on an early visit to Japan by Wang next year. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last month, after meeting Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強) in October. Foreign ministers of the two countries met again this month.
Frequent interactions between the leaders of the two countries two months before US president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next month has aroused much attention.
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has been plagued with problems. Military leaders fell from power successively. Xi is now besieged on all sides. The morale and confidence of the military has been undermined. The economy has been sluggish, while Trump has threatened massive hikes in tariffs on goods coming from China.
After the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989, the global community stood united against and isolated China. However, then-Japanese prime minister Kiichi Miyazawa tried to help China out of its predicament by arranging for the emperor of Japan to visit China.
Now, Japan is also China’s only way out of its predicament amid the encirclement efforts led by the US. China has frequently shown goodwill to the Ishiba administration, which is in a turbulent period, such as by saying it would gradually resume imports of seafood from Japan. However, this is only lip-service that serves as a baited hook for Ishiba.
It has been difficult for Ishiba to make any moves after he lost the support of die-hard members of the conservative faction. His minority government has barely made any progress facing the challenges brought by the opposition. His approval rate has reached a record low.
Having no hope in overcoming internal challenges, Ishiba places his bet on foreign affairs. He follows the footsteps of his mentor, former Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka, who lifted China’s iron curtain and established relations with Beijing.
In his recently published autobiography, Ishiba emphasized the importance of China. Just like Tanaka, he tried to find his way out by appeasing Beijing. This is what he has been trying to achieve from the very beginning. Therefore, he offered an olive branch to China, while trying to take advantage of all sides in the confrontation between Beijing and Washington.
The Chinese and Japanese leaders are facing challenges at home and abroad. It is obvious that they come together, because they see mutual benefits in trying to turn the tide.
Meanwhile, Trump has changed his attitude toward Beijing because of late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, making plans to counter China.
It is almost certain that he is unhappy with the flirtations between Ishiba and Xi. Therefore, he threw a private party for Akie Abe, the widow of Shinzo Abe, Ishiba’s political enemy, after turning down Ishiba’s request for a meeting earlier this month. Trump was showing his discontent over Ishiba’s deviation from Abe’s foreign policy. Ishiba should know this very well in his heart.
The US and Japan are important allies of Taiwan, especially Japan, which shares a common destiny. At this critical moment, it is of paramount importance that Taiwan makes efforts to nurture a closer relationship with Japan, or as former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) described it: a “true and natural” friendship.
Wang Hui-sheng is chief director of the Kisei Ladies’ and Children’s Hospital in Japan and a founding member of the East Asian Research Institute
Translated by Fion Khan
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