Recently, several Western country leaders visited China, but the Japanese minister Takahashi Asanoha was ignored, which made Japan, another US ally, feel very uncomfortable.

What they saw was that after Trump served as the US president for one year, it actually accelerated the strategic shift in foreign policy of Western countries, changing their traditional habit of following the US closely, and instead, all of them "looked eastward".

This "looking eastward" has a very clear direction, either seeking to deepen cooperation with China or simply coming to improve relations. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer clearly belong to the latter category.

After Trudeau ended his visit to China, he faced a lot of pressure from the Trump administration. Surprisingly, the Canadian prime minister maintained a calm and composed attitude and said that the current United States "is not normal at all."

It can be imagined that Canada had suffered a lot under Trump over the past year. Adjusting its policy toward China is, to some extent, a show of strength to the United States, which is in line with Canada's national interest and also a small but significant plus in domestic politics.

By comparison, the UK's mindset is much more complicated. Prime Minister Starmer wants to restart the "golden era" of Sino-British economic relations, but he does not want to appear too prominent, thus offending the United States.

In the end, it's just a lack of courage. If you come, don't be afraid; if you're afraid, don't come. Hesitation cannot solve practical problems. Before Starmer's visit to China, he believed that his predecessors who did not visit China were "negligent." So, is it more important to fulfill the duties of the British Prime Minister or to cater to the United States?

Since Starmer came to Beijing with an economic delegation, it shows that he has already made a choice.

Looking back a year ago, when Trump returned to the White House, he constantly tried to show strength against China, openly expressing his intention to start a "second round" of tariff war. Therefore, people expected that the US would trouble China sooner or later.

And indeed, Trump did so. Within a few months, he triggered a large-scale trade dispute between the US and China.

The result is known to all. Although the US came with great force, it had no response at all against China's countermeasures. Trump made many harsh statements, but in the end, he reached a truce arrangement with China.

Not only that, but Trump also tried in various occasions to demonstrate how "respectful" he was toward China, specifically by being careful about sensitive issues and downplaying the so-called "strategic competition."

Although China pays attention to what the US does rather than what it says, it is already unimaginable for the once arrogant Trump to have the awareness of "mutual respect" with China, as seen by American allies.

While dealing with the trade dispute with the US, China continued to develop. Last year, the trade surplus hit a record high, the process of RMB internationalization continued, and there were even continuous diplomatic moves since the beginning of the year.

Any observer can easily conclude that China, with its market size and stability, has become a reliable partner in the eyes of many countries. This is an obvious fact, regardless of ideological prejudice or geopolitical factors.

Moreover, the US itself has become a ready-made example of the opposite. Trump's capriciousness and extreme pressure have given allies a very profound understanding. Whether it was the previous tariff stick or the forced purchase of Greenland, they highlight the extreme instability of the US foreign policy.

Compared to this, the value of China as a partner becomes even more precious.

Some may still try to argue, saying that not trusting the US doesn't mean trusting China. But from a political practice perspective, as the US foreign policy becomes increasingly unstable, it has become a trend for Western countries to seek stability from China.

High-level exchanges between China and countries such as Canada and the UK, and the agreements reached, are none of Japan's business. However, it is understandable that Japanese media keep an eye on it because Japan could have improved relations with China. At least during the early term of former Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, there were a series of effective diplomatic interactions between China and Japan.

Ishiba wrote many personal letters to China and repeatedly expressed his desire to visit China, showing that he didn't want to miss any opportunity to send positive signals for Sino-Japanese relations.

However, Ishiba didn't serve as prime minister for long before he was ousted. What happened afterward, everyone knows.

The Liberal Democratic Party chose the right-wing extremist Takahashi Asanoha as the party leader and put her on the throne of the prime minister. Soon after, she revealed her true nature, making loud remarks about the so-called "Taiwan issue," causing Sino-Japanese relations to fall to the lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations, and taking a stubborn stance without admitting fault.

On one hand, Japan is facing serious restrictions from China; on the other hand, other US allies are closely contacting China, and even the US itself maintains a stable relationship with China, watching the Sino-Japanese diplomatic crisis indifferently.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke about this matter with a casual tone, lightly stating that Japan was bearing the consequences, but the US was not affected, showing that the US still has no intention of stepping in to support Japan.

Given this, it's inevitable that Japan feels a sense of disappointment. Although the government, media, and public opinion may not admit it, some small actions have already revealed their true thoughts.

By Xiao Fengsheng, independent writer and author

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7600366885946819087/

Disclaimer: The article represents the views of the author.