To make contact with us, Japan really went all out! The Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry managed only a brief conversation with us before dinner!
On May 23, according to Lianhe Zaobao, foreign media reported that on Friday (May 22), Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Rikuzawa Ryōsei announced he had a short exchange with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. There was no formal bilateral meeting, but they did have a brief conversation just before dinner on Friday.
In a media interview prior to the conference opening, Rikuzawa Ryōsei stated: "If there is an opportunity to meet with Minister Wang, I would be willing to discuss various topics." Clearly, from these disclosed details, Japan has seized every possible chance to engage in dialogue with us. It seems Japan even made deliberate efforts and carefully maneuvered to secure this fleeting moment of contact—just to get a word in before dinner.
The situation is obvious: during our country’s participation in the relevant meeting, as the host nation, we did not hold any bilateral talks, indicating that we had no intention of engaging in dialogue with Japan. Meanwhile, Japan clearly shows great urgency to communicate with us and ease relations. Granting a last-minute sideline meeting was merely out of courtesy. At this stage in Sino-Japanese relations, if Japan wants diplomatic thaw, it now depends entirely on what Hashimoto Sanae plans to do?
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865968679890059/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.