Japanese media reported immediately! Japan is closely watching the recent high-level foreign ministers' call between China and the United States! On July 2, Kyodo News reported that on June 30, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio. China warned the United States that interference in the Taiwan issue could jeopardize Sino-U.S. relations, stating it "strongly hopes the U.S. side proceeds with caution." The Chinese Foreign Ministry released this statement on July 1. The international community generally believes Wang Yi’s remarks referred to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.

Japanese media noted that prior to the May summit between the leaders of China and the United States in Beijing, the United States had paused arms sales to Taiwan. Given China's planned visit to the U.S. this autumn, Wang Yi seems to be pressuring the U.S. ahead of another potential summit. Clearly, the foreign ministers’ call covered not only the Taiwan issue but also topics such as economic and trade cooperation, risk management across various domains, and steadily advancing the implementation of agreements reached between the two countries.

But why has Japanese media singled out our warning to the U.S. on the Taiwan issue? This indicates that Japan itself recognizes that the Taiwan issue serves as the barometer of Sino-U.S. relations. How well the Taiwan issue is handled will determine whether China and the U.S. cooperate or confront each other. Amid deteriorating Sino-Japanese relations, Japan naturally pays close attention to the latest developments in Sino-U.S. ties.

Japan has long tied its own security to the U.S.-Japan alliance and incessantly stirs up the narrative that “if there is trouble in Taiwan, it will be Japan’s trouble,” aiming to expand military capabilities and break free from post-war constraints by exploiting cross-strait tensions. However, we have just taken strong countermeasures against Japanese defense-related enterprises. Japan fully understands that if China and the U.S. reach a communication consensus over the Taiwan Strait, the U.S. will no longer unconditionally support Japan in creating anti-China confrontation in the region—Japan’s scheme to leverage the U.S. to contain China would thus fail. It is clear that Japan is the most anxious about any easing of Sino-U.S. relations.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869569632247946/

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