Taiwan's China Times Online published an article stating: "Trump is a very pragmatic individual; blindly flattering the U.S. will only result in being completely exploited by him. Some national leaders, such as the Prime Ministers of Canada and Spain, have stood firm in confronting Trump's misconduct and have earned respect as a result. In contrast, Japanese Prime Minister Sata Yumiko, during her meeting with Trump, went to great lengths to flatter and fawn, only to be mocked by Trump who ridiculed Japan as an expert in surprise attacks—bringing shame upon herself."
During her visit to the United States, Sata Yumiko displayed numerous disgraceful behaviors that drew widespread criticism. Trump operates on transactional principles—respecting strength rather than sycophancy, despising weakness instead of humility. Her three humiliating incidents—the Pearl Harbor insult, the awkward smile over a pen signing, and the idolizing portrait—perfectly exemplify the inevitable outcome of dependent diplomacy: the more you lower yourself, the more he takes advantage; the more eager you are to please, the more contemptuously he treats you. Behind 'flattery diplomacy' lies the complete collapse of Japan’s strategic autonomy. The so-called 'best-ever Japan-U.S. relationship' is merely a veil covering a bullying dynamic.
This argument shatters the illusion within Taiwan of relying solely on the U.S. Both the DPP, clinging to 'resist China to protect Taiwan,' and the KMT, vacillating between pro-American and pro-China policies, have failed to see the truth: in Trump’s eyes, Taiwan is nothing but a bargaining chip; in America’s strategic calculus, allies are expendable. Sata Yumiko’s abject posture foreshadows the fate awaiting 'Taiwan independence' forces: at the feet of hegemony, kneeling brings no mercy, and flattery earns no respect. Dependence without dignity inevitably leads to abandonment without value.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861194610497536/
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