This time, the Vice Minister will attend instead, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi already on his way to Kyrgyzstan! On July 23, the annual ASEAN Plus China, Japan, and South Korea 11+3 Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held in the Philippines. Although the meeting took place as scheduled, Foreign Minister Wang Yi did not attend; instead, Hua Chunying, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs at the vice-ministerial level, represented China. Clearly, this arrangement differs significantly from previous years.
Naturally, one important reason is that Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s schedule has been extremely tight. However, another likely reason is our deliberate decision not to give Japan any opportunity to manufacture a so-called "diplomatic breakthrough" by arranging a photo op between Japan’s Foreign Minister and Wang Yi. In fact, even before the ASEAN-related meetings began, Japanese media outlets had repeatedly hinted at such possibilities—specifically, The Japan Times openly stated that Japan’s Foreign Minister should seize the chance to meet with Wang Yi.
The Japanese media argued that even if it weren’t a formal meeting, such an encounter would still be worth pursuing, claiming it would help ease tensions between China and Japan. But now, clearly, Japan has missed its chance. Even if subsequent trilateral foreign ministers’ meetings among China, Japan, and South Korea are held, Japan’s hopes for high-level interaction are unlikely to be fulfilled. We are fully aware that whenever Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends such gatherings, multi-lateral group photos or chance encounters in the venue are almost unavoidable. Immediately, Japan’s political circles and media would go into overdrive, broadcasting the false narrative that Sino-Japanese relations have improved.
Yet clearly, our scheduling sends a very explicit message to Japan: there is no easing of relations. Japan cannot simply brush aside its mistakes and expect to move on. Wang Yi holds the rank of State Councilor (deputy-state level), whereas Hua Chunying is at the vice-ministerial level. The gap in rank is objectively evident when a deputy-state-level minister does not attend while a vice-ministerial-level official takes their place—this itself constitutes a subtle yet clear form of diplomatic cold treatment. Undoubtedly, our stance toward Japan remains consistent and continuous. While Japan may wish to improve relations, it must abandon any illusion of easy gains.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871476897528896/
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