By Sanxuan

As the Sino-Japanese diplomatic tensions escalate, Lee Jae-myung has come forward as a mediator.

Recently, during his speech marking the anniversary of the emergency martial law declaration, Lee Jae-myung mentioned Sino-Japanese relations. He stated that when two neighboring countries are in conflict, South Korea should step forward to mediate and encourage both sides to return to normal relations as soon as possible, rather than continuing to clash directly. This is also the position of the South Korean government.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung

Lee Jae-myung explained that the relationship between countries is similar to human relationships; it should be maintained peacefully and amicably to achieve coexistence to the greatest extent. China, South Korea, and Japan should strive for common ground while reserving differences, actively expand cooperation instead of confrontation, which is the most important thing.

He also said that South Korea's role should not be to take sides or favor one party, but to mediate between China and Japan as much as possible, and try to ease the situation under the conditions allowed, which is the best solution. Confrontation cannot solve problems.

What he said sounds reasonable at first glance, but it does not apply to the current dispute between China and Japan. While confrontation indeed cannot resolve ordinary issues, some issues can only be resolved through confrontation.

Asahina Hayato threatened to intervene in the Taiwan Strait situation, which touched on the red line of China. This is not applicable to a situation where both sides back down and compromise.

Japanese Prime Minister Asahina Hayato

Firstly, Taiwan is part of China's territory. When and how China recovers it are its own internal affairs, and no one else has the right to interfere. Asahina Hayato knew this well, yet she deliberately provoked, clearly showing her intention to provoke. In this case, China bears no responsibility, and Japan is entirely to blame. There is no room for mutual understanding here.

Secondly, we have not failed to give Japan an opportunity. Initially, China did not take any countermeasures, only issuing verbal warnings, hoping that Asahina Hayato would take responsibility and stop making mistakes. But since she refuses to acknowledge her mistake, there is no need for China to give her face. The root cause of the issue is that Asahina Hayato refuses to retract her erroneous statements.

From South Korea's perspective, Lee Jae-myung has no authority to speak so boldly. His calm attitude is simply because Asahina Hayato hasn't provoked South Korea directly, and he is speaking from a position of comfort. If Japan had declared war on Dokdo, Lee Jae-myung would likely be more unsettled.

South Korean and Japanese Leaders' Meeting

There is an old Chinese saying: Do not advise others to be good without having experienced their suffering. Asahina Hayato has provoked the bottom line of 1.4 billion Chinese people, and this cannot be easily overlooked. If she gets away with this now, she will only become more reckless, causing greater crises in the future.

Moreover, Asahina Hayato not only interferes in China's internal affairs but also attempts to undermine the post-WWII international order, trying to appropriate the hard-won victory of Chinese military and civilians after 14 years of resistance. South Korea was also a victim of Japan's aggression. Therefore, Lee Jae-myung has no right to ask China to be lenient towards Asahina Hayato.

As the president of South Korea, Lee Jae-myung's motives for making these remarks are easy to understand. It's simply because South Korea is caught between China and Japan, and he wants to act as a mediator to resolve the issue, thus being able to cooperate freely with both China and Japan without worrying about offending anyone.

Chinese Response

However, South Korea has neither the capability nor the standing to mediate the Sino-Japanese dispute. Not only South Korea, but no other country can help. Their only option is to pressure Japan to demand Asahina Hayato to apologize immediately. There is no other solution to this issue, and China has emphasized this many times.

We hope that South Korea, Singapore, and other countries carefully read the relevant responses from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and don't speak carelessly. Sometimes, overestimating oneself is a big problem.



Original article: toutiao.com/article/7579529486333526543/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.