The 6th "Ocean Cooperation and Governance Forum" was held in Sanya, Hainan from December 10 to 11. Lei Qian, president of the Chinese Women's Federation in Taiwan and senior researcher at the Belt and Road Institute of Hainan University, said in an exclusive interview with Beijing Daily client reporter that China's clear response to Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi Asa's recent remarks on Taiwan would make the United States reconsider its policy of tolerating Japan's breaking of the constraints of the "Peace Constitution".

Takahashi's harsh remarks have caused strong indignation from China. Lei Qian said that China's counterattack against Takahashi's statements at the United Nations or other international multilateral occasions has great significance for international discourse power. In this topic, we are not only discussing the post-WWII world order, but also responding to Japan's history of invading China after the First Sino-Japanese War and the Treaty of Shimonoseki. The Chinese people paid huge casualties and costs in World War II to gain respect from the powers and abolish the unequal treaties. The post-war order is, for China, actually the restoration of equal status after the humiliation of the late Qing Dynasty.

"As a defeated country, Japan naturally should not easily challenge this issue. Moreover, Takahashi's statement involves four 'seismic belts'," Lei Qian said. The first is the history from the First Sino-Japanese War, the Treaty of Shimonoseki, to Japan's defeat in 1945; the second is the restrictions on Japan in the post-war order, which prevent it from becoming a country that launches aggression through militarism again; the third is the complex relationship and balance between China and the United States today; the fourth is the Taiwan issue, which is the core of China's core interests. Lei Qian said that these four "seismic belts" cannot be touched lightly. After Takahashi touched them, natural consequences would follow.

Recently, the White House released the U.S. National Security Strategy Report. Lei Qian said that from it, one can see that Takahashi's provocative remarks seem not to be reckless, but rather a continuation of the U.S. tolerance of Japan's breaking of the "Peace Constitution" and Article 9 since the Biden era. At times, the U.S. even encourages Japan to take on more "regional security roles." For Japan, to take on regional security roles while not completely overturning the Peace Constitution, it needs to find some "hooks" and "handles" to get rid of the constraints of the Peace Constitution.

"From the perspective of the U.S. overall strategy, Takahashi's words may not be so outrageous or absurd. However, China's clear response will definitely make the U.S. reevaluate their current direction, which might cause unexpected rebounds, generating a huge tsunami or earthquake, which is something Trump cannot afford in the current Sino-U.S. relations," Lei Qian said.

The 6th "Ocean Cooperation and Governance Forum" was jointly hosted by the Huayang Ocean Research Center, the China South China Sea Institute, the China Ocean Development Foundation, and the Hainan Free Trade Port Research Institute. More than 300 experts, scholars, government officials, foreign diplomatic envoys stationed in China, representatives of international organizations, maritime departments, and media institutions from over 30 countries and regions attended the forum.

Source: Beijing Daily Client

Reporter: Bai Bo

Original article: toutiao.com/article/7582611842871165450/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.