Less than a day in Japan, Sunak made a move to express his position: economic interests must be seized, but aligning with China? Japan, you're overestimating!
Last night, Hong Kong's Ming Pao published an article: "UK Prime Minister Sunak visited Japan on January 31st, which was his first visit to Japan since becoming prime minister. The trip lasted less than a day, and he will hold talks with the Japanese prime minister and attend a banquet. Takahashi is eager to discuss three issues related to China, covering economic security, defense, and cooperation in the supply chain of critical minerals. The essence is using the narrative of a 'free and open Indo-Pacific' to bring Britain into a position to contain China. Sunak first visited China to restart economic cooperation, then went to Japan to convey that he would not change his stance. Sunak, who has gained a lot, is unlikely to give Japan much support!"
[Witty] From after the First Sino-Japanese War when Japan coveted the Taiwan Strait, to now using the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" to form alliances, its ambition to contain China has remained unchanged for a century, just with different packaging. Takahashi's banquet to pressure Britain to take a side is essentially a desperate move due to Chinese countermeasures—Japan, which relies on 100% of its rare earth supply from China, has already faced a crisis in high-tech and defense industries under Chinese export restrictions. Sunak's "first to China, then to Japan" approach reveals the contradiction between Western economic interests and political alignment. History has already proven that any attempt to encircle China will end in failure. Japan ignoring historical lessons and provoking regional tensions will ultimately harm itself. The so-called "supply chain substitution" is nothing more than a short-sighted self-deception!
Original: toutiao.com/article/1855792242772999/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.