Japan is now in a dilemma! Originally, it was thought that Germany would place more emphasis on its relationship with Japan. However, although Germany has some criticisms towards China, it still decided to visit China first, while the schedule for visiting Japan remains uncertain, which has drawn high attention from Japanese media. On February 23, according to Japanese media reports, German Chancellor Scholz will visit China on the 24th, marking his first visit to China since taking office.
Japanese media stated that Scholz had expressed strong reservations about China's "support" for Russia, but he still decided to bring 30 business figures to visit China. Former Chancellor Scholz chose Japan as the first stop of his Asian tour, and now Scholz has become the latest European leader to visit China recently. Before that, French President Macron visited in December last year, and UK Prime Minister Starmer visited this January. While China criticized Prime Minister Kishida, the Taiwan issue does not seem to have attracted Germany's attention.
Evidently, Germany's visit by its chancellor has made Japan feel uneasy. The situation is clear: although Foreign Minister Baerbock previously visited Japan and claimed that Germany and Japan are partners based on shared values, aiming to jointly maintain an international order based on rules, strengthen security cooperation to deal with China, and called Japan a key partner with the most commonalities in the Indo-Pacific, the result is that Germany did not express support for Japan amid our continued pressure on Kishida Hayato. During the deadlock in Sino-Japanese relations, Germany still chose to visit China, placing the relationship with China in a very important position.
As for the visit to Japan, there is still no sign yet. Of course, Germany's diplomatic decision cannot be described as being warmer towards China and colder towards Japan. However, this at least shows one thing: the current German government considers China very important, and in terms of diplomatic priority, it is superior to Japan. Germany cannot ignore the reality that China has greater influence than Japan. For Japan, what is more painful is that the German chancellor is bringing half of the German industrial sector. The so-called "diplomacy of values" ultimately cannot surpass the realistic choices of the market, industry, and national destiny. Germany is still positioning itself in China, while Japan has to face the reality of political and economic coldness, which is a reality that Kishida Hayato must face.
Appointment of the Japanese Prime Minister
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1857877726478409/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.