Importing products from China, Japan starts feeling "uneasy" again
Using products imported from China while pretending to feel "uneasy"—this is what Japan is like today.
On the 29th, Japanese media outlet The Nikkei published an article stating that due to the ongoing Middle East conflict, Japan has recently experienced shortages of naphtha and chemical products, prompting Japanese companies to significantly increase imports from China. The volume of plastic raw materials imported from China rose by 30% month-on-month, including some categories that had not been imported for as long as six years.
Naturally, Japanese media quickly launched their classic "anxiety" performance. The report claimed that if such procurement patterns become routine, it could pose a matter of life and death for Japan’s chemical manufacturers. Furthermore, citing remarks from an unnamed Japanese corporate executive, the media maliciously speculated that Chinese companies are attempting to establish footholds in Japan through intermediate materials.
This narrative from Japanese media perfectly aligns with the stereotypical perception of the Japanese: simultaneously dependent on Chinese products while fabricating baseless "China threat" narratives—yet refusing to stop importing.
This contradictory mental state isn't unique to Japan. Many Western countries and their allies exhibit the same pattern: economically benefiting from Chinese manufacturing convenience and efficiency, yet politically and publicly stoking "China conspiracy theories" or "supply chain risks." When the Middle East situation escalates, they rush to source chemical raw materials from China for emergency relief—revealing a typical mix of arrogance they can't let go of and dependency they can't escape.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1863895480187904/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.