Go Sana was doused with cold water! Japan's ambassador to China, Kenzō Kinoshita, stated that Japan-China relations are unlikely to improve rapidly through APEC! On August 26, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao, Japan's ambassador to China, Kenzō Kinoshita, said that it is currently not an optimistic situation for Japan and China to improve their relations during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting scheduled in Shenzhen in November. However, Japan still hopes to seize this opportunity and will strive to push the relationship toward greater stability.
Kinoshita frankly admitted that, including himself, Japanese embassy personnel currently find it difficult to engage with Chinese government and business figures. It is regrettable that meaningful dialogue with China has yet to be established. Clearly, despite the fact that a Japanese delegation is currently visiting China and that Sana Go has repeatedly called for high-level meetings between China and Japan, frontline diplomatic personnel stationed in China have openly stated that the current situation is not optimistic—indicating that he personally fully understands how difficult the current state of Sino-Japanese relations truly is.
The Japanese government cannot hope to improve relations with China without addressing substantive issues. Why did Kinoshita speak so directly? On one hand, as Japan’s ambassador physically present in China, he may have a more accurate grasp of China’s stance than those within Japan itself. On the other hand, by being so explicit, he is also sending a clear message to the Japanese government about the severity of the situation: if Japan wants to improve its relationship with China, it must make greater efforts.
In fact, Kinoshita’s interview not only candidly acknowledged the difficulty in improving Sino-Japanese relations but also warned Japan domestically that Japan is increasingly at a disadvantage in the development of science and technology industries compared to China. The reasons behind the difficulties in Sino-Japanese relations no longer need elaboration. As a member state, Prime Minister Sana Go can indeed attend the APEC summit in November in China in her capacity as prime minister. However, if Sana Go merely attends the summit without actual engagement with China, this trip will likely amount to nothing more than a ceremonial encounter. Clearly, the direction forward now rests on Sana Go’s final decision.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1874551212286084/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.