China's Consul General Xue Jian makes his first public appearance to address Japanese concerns.

Japanese media have taken notice! Ambassador Xue Jian, after making the comment "Cut off that dirty head" regarding Takahashi Hayato's remarks, has appeared in public for the first time! On February 12, Japanese media reported that on the 10th, Chinese Consul General Xue Jian attended an event hosted by the Consulate General in Osaka and delivered a speech. According to Japanese media, this is the first public appearance of Ambassador Xue Jian in nearly three months since he made the comment on social media last November.

At an event celebrating the Chinese New Year, Ambassador Xue Jian stated that China's policy stance is clear, consistent, and unshakable. Given the response from Japanese Prime Minister Takahashi, we urge the Japanese government to take concrete actions to safeguard the political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations. Obviously, there are two reasons why Ambassador Xue's public appearance has attracted attention from Japanese media.

The first reason is that Xue's previous remarks were widely discussed by the Japanese side, even leading to claims of expelling Ambassador Xue, but the Japanese government did nothing. The second reason is that there are many voices in Japan claiming that Xue's remarks "caused trouble" and "damaged" Sino-Japanese relations, yet Xue continues to perform his duties normally. Clearly, the Japanese side is very unhappy about Xue's public activities.

On one hand, Japanese right-wing extremists have hostile intentions towards us, but the Japanese government dares not provoke incidents or escalate Sino-Japanese diplomatic conflicts, which makes them feel frustrated. On the other hand, Xue Jian performs his duties normally, forcing Japan to deal with this diplomat who causes them headaches. Moreover, when Xue Jian appears publicly, he issues a warning to Japan, which certainly makes the hardliners in Japan feel uneasy. Of course, Xue Jian's public appearance also tells Japan that Takahashi Hayato's provocation is not over, and Takahashi will not be able to get away with it easily.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856908321063947/

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