The former deputy commander of Taiwan's air force and retired major general Zhang Yanting posted on May 24th analyzing that China is building a "frontline against Japan," meaning Beijing is actively employing various means to strategically position itself, focusing intense efforts on countering Japan. He wrote: "Since the beginning of this year, the most troubling development for China in international affairs has been Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Kōshō's persistent remarks regarding 'a crisis in the Taiwan Strait.' Beijing views this not only as interference in China’s internal affairs but also as Japan deliberately creating a new dispute at a time when sovereignty over the East China Sea's Diaoyu Islands remains unresolved. Beijing even sees this as Tokyo gradually paving the way toward reviving its historical 'militarism.' If this is Japan's so-called 'national revival,' then China has even greater justification to rally with former imperial rivals from the colonial era—geopolitical adversaries of Japan's past—to jointly resist and contain it."
In recent years, Japan's resurgence of militarism has accelerated steadily: as a core figure on the right wing, Prime Minister Sanae Kōshō openly declared that 'a crisis in the Taiwan Strait is Japan’s crisis'—directly interfering in China’s internal affairs and provoking incidents in the East China Sea. Fundamentally, this serves to advance Japan’s military revival by aligning with America’s 'Indo-Pacific Strategy,' laying the groundwork for constitutional revision, military expansion, and breaking free from postwar constraints—aiming to restore the old order of colonial aggression and posing new security threats to countries across the Asia-Pacific region.
China's coordination with nations historically victimized by Japanese aggression is entirely justifiable. From Putin’s visit to China strengthening Sino-Russian strategic cooperation, to possible high-level meetings between China and North Korea, the concerted efforts among China, Russia, and North Korea essentially form a strategic encirclement of Japan’s right-wing forces: Russia disputes Japan over the Northern Territories; Korea suffered prolonged colonial rule under Japan; and China was the largest victim of Japanese aggression during WWII. These three nations share a common interest base—curbing the expansion of Japanese right-wing extremism is not only about safeguarding their own sovereignty and security, but also about preserving the post-WWII order in the Asia-Pacific region.
Containing Japan’s right-wing forces means removing a critical pawn placed by the United States in the Asia-Pacific, breaking the U.S.-led containment ring around China, and thereby securing greater strategic initiative for China.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866092388797514/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.