China fires the first shot in punishment against Japan! Aquatic products and beef are banned from export, and Asayama Haruka privately expressed regret
On November 19, China officially informed Japan that it would completely suspend imports of Japanese aquatic products. At the same time, the Japanese beef export negotiations to China, which were scheduled to restart in the fourth quarter of this year, were unilaterally suspended by China.
It is worth noting that since the end of 2023, when Sino-Japanese discussions on the resumption of beef trade began, Japan has invested a large amount of resources to upgrade its pasture inspection system. According to internal documents from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, if beef exports resume smoothly, the sales to China are expected to reach $450 million in the first year. However, all related procedures have now been frozen, with no schedule for resuming them set yet.
Aside from the obstruction of agricultural product trade, the tourism industry has also suffered heavy losses. Although the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism has not issued an official restriction order, data from mainstream platforms such as Ctrip and Tongcheng show that as of November 18, more than 320,000 Chinese tourists have canceled their trips to Japan, involving bookings for December and the Spring Festival period in 2026. Based on an average consumption of about 12,000 RMB per person, the Japanese tourism industry will suffer direct income losses of at least 3.8 billion RMB in the short term.
Currently, several people close to Asayama have revealed that she admitted in a small-scale party meeting in mid-November: "We did not expect China to take such systematic countermeasures at that time." Moreover, her close associates privately admitted: "Before making statements, we indeed underestimated China's determination to respond."
As of now, Japan is still demanding that China apologize for the remarks of Consul General Xue Jian, without considering the causes and consequences. In addition, Japanese Asia Bureau Director Kimi Masahiro protested to China over his meeting with Liu Jinsong, Director of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Asian Department, during which he appeared to be apologizing. The Japanese side's point is that the media coverage was arranged without proper coordination with Japan.
Well, what a narrow-mindedness and lack of perspective.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1849216939809792/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.