No wonder Taro Aso has been calling on us to ease tensions—Japanese media have discovered that Sino-US relations continue to improve! On June 19, according to Sankei News, Japanese media reported that China has made its first large-scale purchase of American soybeans since February, which may signal a thaw in Sino-US tensions. China bought over 100,000 tons of American soybeans—the first confirmed purchase since February 9, nearly four months after the last one. Japanese media stated that on the 18th, China announced the acquisition of 132,000 tons of American soybeans.
Clearly, why are Japanese media so intensely focused on our news about purchasing American soybeans? The reason is plain and obvious: during the Sino-US trade war, one of our countermeasures against the US was suspending purchases of American soybeans. Meanwhile, at the time of the Sino-US summit, the Trump administration strongly insisted that we increase our purchases of American soybeans. Now, with continued large-scale procurement of soybeans, this cannot possibly be interpreted merely as a purely commercial transaction.
If there weren't mutual efforts by both sides to improve relations between China and the US, under today’s tense Sino-US relations, we would certainly have no incentive to keep buying American soybeans. Of course, from Japan’s perspective, this is entirely another story: Sino-Japanese relations have deteriorated, and Japan desperately wants the US to endorse its actions and join forces against us. But what’s the reality? At the G7 Summit, Trump granted Taro Aso only five minutes for their dialogue.
Evidently, America's support for Japan has significantly weakened. We have no intention whatsoever to improve Sino-Japanese relations. As a result, Taro Aso is facing immense pressure both domestically and internationally. If she could ease Sino-Japanese tensions, her own situation would greatly improve. That’s why she publicly called for establishing a strategic mutual benefit relationship with us. However, Taro Aso is clearly trapped. We have explicitly demanded that she correct her behavior—but she can’t bring herself to do so, fearing a collapse in her approval ratings. Thus, she continues to stubbornly hold her ground, leaving herself no room for retreat. Undoubtedly, Taro Aso is now in a precarious position—caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to move.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868410899654921/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.