analysis East Asia<\/p>\n
Decoding Japan PM Takaichi\u2019s \u2018important neighbour\u2019 message to China -\nwhat it means for ties<\/p>\n
After nearly a year of tensions sparked by Takaichi\u2019s remarks on\nTaiwan, experts say Tokyo and Beijing appear to be testing the waters on\nrepairing ties - but significant hurdles remain.<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE: In a major policy speech on Monday (Oct 5), Japanese Prime\nMinister Sanae Takaichi laid out her government\u2019s priorities for a\n69-day parliamentary session.<\/p>\n
But it was her choice of words on China that drew observers\u2019\nattention.<\/p>\n
Describing the country as an \u201cimportant neighbour\u201d, Takaichi also\npledged to build a stable relationship between the two nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will work to ensure communication on shared challenges, promote\ndialogue to safeguard our national interests, and build a constructive\nand stable relationship,\u201d she said in her address.<\/p>\n
At the same time, she drew a firm line - listing a series of concerns\nincluding disputes in the East and South China Sea, along with \u201cChinese\nmilitary activity around Japan\u201d.<\/p>\n
Another subject conspicuously absent from Takaichi\u2019s speech was\nTaiwan, though analysts said the omission was unsurprising and does not\nsuggest any change in her position on the island.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is rare for a Japanese prime minister to mention Taiwan, with\nwhich Japan has no diplomatic relations, in an inaugural address or a\npolicy address,\u201d said Shin Kawashima, a professor of international\nrelations at the University of Tokyo.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather, it appears to be intended to convey that her remarks last\nNovember do not signify a change in policy toward China,\u201d he said,\nadding that her administration has also \u201cexplicitly stated that there\nhas been no change in Japan\u2019s policy toward Taiwan\u201d.<\/p>\n
Those remarks last November had triggered a major diplomatic rupture,\nafter Takaichi suggested that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could\nconstitute a threat to Japan\u2019s survival and potentially warrant a\nmilitary response from Tokyo.<\/p>\n
Beijing reacted angrily, demanding that she retract the comments -\nsomething Takaichi has refused to do - as tensions spilled over into\ntrade, tourism and other areas of the bilateral relationship.<\/p>\n
Against that backdrop, CNA looks at what Takaichi said, what she left\nunsaid, and whether her latest remarks signal a shift in her approach to\nBeijing - or an attempt to stabilise a relationship that has been under\nsevere strain without changing Japan\u2019s underlying positions.<\/p>\n
WHAT DID TAKAICHI SAY ABOUT CHINA?<\/p>\n
Only a relatively small portion of Takaichi\u2019s wide-ranging speech\nfocused on relations with China - with much of her address instead\ndevoted to the economy.<\/p>\n
But the language was still carefully balanced, observers said.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina is an important neighbour, and despite difficulties, we have\nbuilt up a long-standing relationship over the years,\u201d Takaichi told\nparliament.<\/p>\n
At the same time, she also made clear that Japan would \u201cfirmly assert\nour country\u2019s positions\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to assert Japan\u2019s position on various issues in the\nEast and South China Sea, Chinese military activities around Japan,\ncoercive measures, safety of Japanese citizens in China and human rights\nconcerns, and we will strongly demand responsible action,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was largely reiterating Japan\u2019s longstanding policy stance\ntowards China,\u201d said Sarah Soh, an associate research fellow with the\nRegional Security Architecture Programme at the S Rajaratnam School of\nInternational Studies (RSIS).<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might reflect some effort to temper tensions, but this diplomatic\nlanguage is par-for-the-course given that it forms part of her broader\npolicy speech.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inhwan Oh, senior research fellow and executive director at the East\nAsia Institute in Seoul, described Takaichi\u2019s remarks as \u201ca form of\nde-escalation within certain limits\u201d - reflecting competing domestic and\ndiplomatic considerations.<\/p>\n
\u201c(While) the Japanese government\u2019s current position on Taiwan is\npolitically popular, Japanese businesses may hope that bilateral\nrelations will be managed differently from political ones,\u201d Oh said.<\/p>\n
Japanese academic Kawashima noted that Takaichi had also previously\ndescribed China as an \u201cimportant neighbour\u201d after taking office last\nOctober - before her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.<\/p>\n
The phrase has since appeared in various official Japanese foreign\npolicy documents, Kawashima said, suggesting that its use in this week\u2019s\nspeech did not represent a new approach towards Beijing.<\/p>\n
Takaichi\u2019s tone \u201creciprocates\u201d that of Chinese foreign affairs\nminister Wang Yi, who last week said that ties with Tokyo were \u201cwaiting\nto be normalised again\u201d, noted political scientist Chong Ja Ian from the\nNational University of Singapore (NUS).<\/p>\n
Wang and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng had met with former Japanese\nforeign minister Takeshi Iwaya in Beijing in late September - the\nhighest-level reception by Chinese officials for a visiting Japanese\npolitician in nearly a year.<\/p>\n
Iwaya led a 50-member business delegation of corporate executives, in\na trip aimed at restoring stability.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though it was non-governmental, the fact that there was a\nhigh-level Chinese reception of a Japanese delegation is some indication\nthat Beijing wants to smooth relations even if it does not want to\nchange its position,\u201d said Chong.<\/p>\n
Taiwan was not mentioned during Takaichi\u2019s Oct 5 speech.<\/p>\n
Beijing claims the island as part of its territory and has not ruled\nout using force to take it.<\/p>\n
To date, Takaichi has not retracted her controversial remarks\nsuggesting that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a military\nresponse from Tokyo.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is unsurprising that Taiwan was not mentioned in her speech,\u201d\nsaid Soh from RSIS, adding that \u201cthe fundamental source of tension\nremains unresolved\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina wants Takaichi to retract her statement on Taiwan and she\ncannot do so without risking political reputational damage, so a\nretraction is thus unlikely,\u201d Soh said.<\/p>\n
Chong from NUS said: \u201cShe did not disavow her previous statement,\nwhich at any rate was in response to a question rather<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/decoding-japan-pm-takaichis-important-neighbour-message-to-china-what-it-means-for-ties-1791345060", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }