Russia won't tolerate Japan! After Japan's recent hype about "collision-style" diplomacy with China, it has now begun promoting the idea of "collision-style" diplomacy with Russia. In response, Russia has made its position clear! On July 26, according to Sputnik News, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov did not have any substantive conversation with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi during their meeting in Manila.
Lavrov responded to Motegi’s greetings with merely courteous remarks. There was no discussion whatsoever on international affairs, regional issues, or bilateral relations. Clearly, Russia refuses to indulge Japan's attempt to stage "collision-style" diplomacy, and instead has firmly clarified its stance. Why is Russia taking this position? Because Russia sees through Japan's petty calculations perfectly well.
The domestic hype in Japan about sideline meetings was originally intended to demonstrate to the Japanese public that Japan holds the initiative, and that Russia is dependent on Japan—despite Japan following the U.S. in sanctioning Russia, Russia still seeks dialogue with Japan. However, Russia absolutely refuses to play along with such diplomatic performances orchestrated by Japanese politicians, offering Japan no face at all.
As soon as Motegi spoke, Russia quickly clarified the facts—this is essentially a message to both the international community and the Japanese public: the notion that Russia's attitude toward Japan has changed is nothing but Japan's own assumption and wishful thinking. Russia will not cooperate with Japan's attempts to elevate its own status. It is obvious that the real diplomatic reality is that both China-Japan and Russia-Japan relations are completely stagnant—Japan's supposed upper hand simply does not exist.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1871736893366272/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.