Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning holds a press conference in Beijing on November 21。 (©Kyodo)
China is on the rampage after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said what was neither new nor surprising – that Taiwan is immensely important to Japan, and that Japan may consider coming to Taiwan's defense if China attacks. In response, China's Consul General in Osaka said on social media that PM Takaichi should be beheaded.
Beijing presumably agreed with its Consul General and has doubled and tripled down on the verbal assaults. As well, China is banning Japanese seafood imports and threatening to prohibit Chinese tourism to Japan and Chinese students from studying there.
Concocted Outrage
China's outrage is largely concocted and an excuse to turn up the heat on Japan.
Beijing will claim they've been provoked, and it's Japan's fault that China is doing whatever it's doing.
But it is all pretextual. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) doesn't get "furious" and "angry." No matter how many times the American press writes that it does. The CCP has about as much emotion as a great white shark. And a comparable appetite. Beijing is looking to isolate and destroy Takaichi by blaming her for pointing out Beijing's aggressive designs and suggesting Japan should defend itself.
China's objectives towards Japan have long been clear. Dominate Japan and take Japanese territory – while heaping humiliation on the Japanese in the process.
It's "paying Japan back" for historical wrongs, Beijing will tell you. But even if Japan had never invaded China in the 1930s, the CCP would still be out for blood.
There is not enough room in the Asia-Pacific region for the PRC and a powerful, independent, democratic Japan. Like a fat man at a buffet, the Chinese Communists want it all.
How will Takaichi and Japan respond? Quietly seething (as is the Japanese nature) while continuing the defense buildup and moving even closer to the United States.
Fumbled First Response
However, the Japanese fumbled the initial response to this Chinese attack.
China's Osaka Consul General should have immediately been declared "persona non grata" and sent home.
Instead, Tokyo dispatched a foreign ministry envoy to Beijing to "explain" things. He got creamed. His kowtow just guarantees more abuse from China, and the assaults are continuing nonstop.
Takaichi should find the person(s) who advised this course of action and show them the curb.
Japan ought to know better.
But China does have plenty of proxies in Japan's political and business classes – and parts of the government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Indeed, the politician who raised the initial questions with Takaichi in the Diet, Katsuya Okada, has extensive family commercial interests in China. Back in 2012, while serving as deputy prime minister, he reportedly convinced the prime minister to cancel a tiny Japan Self-Defense Force amphibious exercise after China complained – and maybe to protect the family business?
Yet, China's bullying behavior reinforces the dislike that a large majority of regular Japanese have towards China.
Public Support for Takaichi
Indeed, public support for Takaichi has increased markedly. And the idea that Japan needs to defend itself is also regarded by most of the public as simple common sense.
One retired Japanese defense official commented:
"It feels like the cap on a bottle that has contained years of frustration among the Japanese people has suddenly popped. There's been almost no criticism from the general public about Takaichi's recent remarks."
As for China's threat to cut off tourists and students, most Japanese citizens will say "please do" and "thank you very much," being glad to see fewer Chinese in their country.
The US reaction?
What It Will Take
US Ambassador George Glass chided the PRC for its unseemly behavior.
That's good, but Beijing doesn't care. It will take more than that.
For starters, make the defense of Japan and its southern islands a genuinely combined Japan-US affair.
It still isn't, despite some recent progress.
Both nations' militaries should have been conducting joint US-Japan naval and air patrols in the Nansei Shoto (southern islands) a decade ago. So China knew it was taking on both the US and Japan ー and not Japan alone.
And Washington and other free nations need to provide total support to make up for Chinese economic pressure on Japan, while breaking economic dependencies on the PRC.
China perhaps figures President Trump will provide only lukewarm support for Japan since he dearly wants a trade deal with PRC – and Beijing has also got the US over a "rare earths" barrel.
If Beijing is right, that's dangerous.
What China is doing to Sanae Takaichi and Japan is an unprovoked and calculated attack on America's main ally in the region, aiming to destroy Japan's prime minister.
It's also a test of American will.
If Japan and the US – individually or collectively – placate the PRC for what is in fact an act of war, Beijing will be emboldened. And we will eventually pay a high price for that – needing to "go kinetic" to defend ourselves, our friends, and our interests, or else capitulate.
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Author: Grant Newsham
Grant Newsham is a retired US Marine officer and former US diplomat. He is the author of the book When China Attacks: A Warning To America. Find his articles on JAPAN Forward.
