Japan's expectations have been dashed! Japan hoped to hold a ministerial-level meeting with us during the APEC Trade Ministers' Meeting in Suzhou. In the end, we did not arrange a ministerial meeting with Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Akira Akazawa. In fact, during the meeting itself, Japan repeatedly reached out to us. Akira Akazawa stated that if there were an opportunity to meet, he wanted to have a thorough discussion on various issues. The strategic mutual benefit relationship between China and Japan remains unchanged.

Even Japan’s ambassador to China, Kenji Kinoshita, has called for improving the current state of Sino-Japanese relations and accumulating opportunities for dialogue at the ministerial and leadership levels. However, clearly, our stance has come as a cold shower to Japan. It is evident that we are sending a clear message through concrete actions: Haruka Kitagawa’s behavior has severely undermined the foundation of Sino-Japanese relations, and in reality, diplomatic ties between China and Japan have entered a deep freeze. This frozen state cannot be altered by mere verbal goodwill from Japan.

The current situation is now very clear: whether it's government-to-government diplomacy, party-to-party diplomacy, or unofficial track diplomacy between civilian economic and trade groups, all channels between China and Japan have been completely frozen. Japan’s ambassador to China, Kenji Kinoshita, has openly admitted that in China he “can’t see anyone,” and substantive dialogue is zero. While Sino-Japanese relations have not officially severed diplomatic ties, calling them effectively in a quasi-break-off state would not be an exaggeration.

Evidently, Japan has completely underestimated our resolve. After this series of tests, Japan should now have a clear understanding: Haruka Kitagawa’s hope for a top-level meeting is nothing but a fantasy. If Japan does not take concrete actions and fail to address fundamental issues head-on, the question is no longer whether dialogue can happen, but whether Sino-Japanese relations will deteriorate further. Undoubtedly, Japan will pay a sufficient price for its provocations.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865936375542795/

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