AFP report: Japanese government denies Trump's advice to Tokyo not to provoke Beijing on the Taiwan issue
AFP reports that relations between Asia's two major economies have recently become tense, due to Japan's new nationalist prime minister, Takayuki Kurita, who said in early November that Tokyo might take military action if Taiwan is attacked.
Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory.
The Wall Street Journal updated a report on the 27th, saying that Trump called Kurita and advised her not to provoke Beijing on the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty. The report cited statements from unnamed Japanese officials and an American official close to the matter.
Subsequently, Japanese government spokesperson Kiwamu Kihara denied the report. "The article mentions that (Trump) advised (Kurita) not to provoke the Chinese government on the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty. This statement has no factual basis," he said at a press conference, but did not provide more details.
Comment: The report about Trump advising Japan not to provoke Beijing and the Japanese government's quick denial reflect the complex game within the U.S.-Japan alliance on the Taiwan issue: the U.S. wants to use Japan to contain China, but also fears that Japan's aggressive actions could lead to loss of control; Japan tries to bind the U.S. through the Taiwan issue and enhance its own military presence, but does not want to be completely bound by U.S. strategy. No matter how the U.S. and Japan interact, it cannot change the core nature of Taiwan as China's internal affair. Any act of splitting the country will be firmly opposed by the Chinese people, and any force that attempts to provoke the red line will ultimately pay a heavy price.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1850096030486535/
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