Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at the Munich Security Conference on February 14. (©Reuters)
On February 14, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi fiercely criticized Japan at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Wang castigated Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's parliamentary response to a theoretical question about a Taiwan emergency. Takaichi's remarks, he claimed, "directly challenge China's sovereignty."
The Chinese foreign minister added, "It shows that Japan's ambitions of invading and colonizing Taiwan have not disappeared, and that the ghost of militarism still haunts it."
Then Wang declared, "All peace-loving nations must also warn Japan that if it continues down the same path, it will bring about its own destruction."
Mr Wang's remarks are entirely unacceptable.
In another forum at the same conference, Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi rebutted the Chinese foreign minister's assertions. "[Wang's] statements are not based on facts. Japan's contributions to the peace and stability of the international community are widely known," Motegi stated.
Provoking a Hypothetical Situation
The point of contention concerns Prime Minister Takaichi's November 7 remarks in a Budget Committee of the Diet. An opposition leader asked her the theoretical question about Japan's reaction to a hypothetical Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan. The question went on to theorize that China would use its force against US military units intervening to lift that blockade.
Prime Minister Takaichi replied that such developments could constitute a "situation of existential threat" under the Constitution. Such a circumstance would allow Japan to exercise the limited right of collective self-defense.
A naval blockade carried out by military units is one application of the "use of force," and Japan and Taiwan are geographically close. In the event of a Taiwan crisis, the Self-Defense Forces and the US military might well be called in to evacuate Japanese and American citizens in Taiwan.
If the US military were attacked in such a situation, it would be natural for Japan, America's ally, to assist. That would be accomplished by exercising the right of collective self-defense. Otherwise, the Japan-US alliance could not survive. Moreover, if Japan cannot rely on the alliance's deterrent and response capabilities, its very existence will be jeopardized.
Wang's Clumsy Chinese Militancy Cover-up
Wang is a Chinese diplomat known to be deeply knowledgeable about Japan. Therefore, he must be fully aware that Japan would not exercise its right of self-defense unless China attacks first. Nonetheless, he has repeatedly sought to baselessly vilify Japan.
Reckless and disingenuous words, such as those Wang displayed in Munich, only damage China's reputation in the international community.
There is undoubtedly a reason why Wang and the Chinese foreign ministry are so persistently criticizing Japan. That is likely because they are trying to curry favor with China's dictator, President Xi Jinping. The distortions of the Chinese Communist Party's authoritarian regime are clearly reflected in China's diplomacy. After all, Wang himself is a member of the CCP's Politburo.
Every year, China spends many times more on defense than Japan. What is more, it has been using its military might to intimidate Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, and other countries. Notably, it also refuses to abandon the option of using military force to annex Taiwan.
If China wants to see the face of militarism, it should look in the mirror instead of at Japan.
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- China's Act of War Against PM Takaichi and Japan
Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
