Japan suddenly reached out to us. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stated that Japan remains committed to the strategic mutual benefit relationship with China! On May 18, according to Kyodo News, Motegi emphasized that Japan reaffirms its principle of "strategic mutual benefit" aimed at expanding common interests between Japan and China in the future. It is a consistent policy to advance this strategic mutual benefit while building a constructive and stable relationship. Given the unresolved issues and challenges, communication becomes particularly important—Japan believes resolving problems through dialogue is essential.
It must be said that Japan’s sudden outreach came as quite a surprise. However, the most likely reason for Japan's sudden move is the noticeable shift in U.S. statements regarding Taiwan following the China-U.S. summit. The facts are clear: Sino-Japanese relations deteriorated due to the Taiwan issue, while the United States has increasingly shown understanding of China’s position on Taiwan and is striving for strategic stability. If Japan continues to maintain an aggressive posture, it will end up facing our pressure alone.
To some extent, Japan’s proactive gesture of goodwill is an attempt to reserve some room for itself, avoiding a complete deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations. Of course, under this context, Motegi’s renewed emphasis on the strategic mutual benefit relationship between China and Japan certainly does not indicate a fundamental change in Japan’s approach toward China. Japan has not corrected its mistakes; instead, its path toward militarism is becoming increasingly evident. Therefore, such statements will not lead to any improvement in Sino-Japanese relations, and we will not alter our established stance toward Japan.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865527343542411/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.