BEIJING (AP) — A week in which long-standing tensions between neighbors China and Japan escalated economically and politically ended Friday with no signs of improvement, as the Chinese ambassador to Tokyo rebuffed his host country and the Japanese reported delays in deliveries to Chinese suppliers because of the conflict.
The two events capped a week in which China made clear its displeasure with Japan, instituting new export controls, condemning what it called Tokyo’s renewed militarism and reaching out to another regional neighbor, South Korea, during its leader’s visit to Beijing.
On Friday, the Chinese Communist Party’s flagship newspaper, the People’s Daily, kept the blows coming.
“The new militarism will lead Japan back into the abyss,” said one editorial. “History serves as a stark warning, but the Japanese right is up to its old tricks.”
It was the latest in several days of sharp Chinese criticism of Japan, after its Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that he would not rule out intervening if China uses military force against the island of Taiwan. China considers self-ruled Taiwan a sovereign territory and has said it will take it by force if necessary. It held large-scale military exercises nearby late last month.
China retains its export controls
Late Thursday, China’s embassy in Japan said it had rejected a petition by Japan’s foreign ministry to withdraw new export controls on “dual-use items” that the Japanese military could use in weaponry. The ambassador, Wu Jianghao, insisted that China’s move was “entirely legitimate, reasonable and legal” – and vital to national security.
Also on Friday, Japanese officials said they are closely monitoring whether Japanese exports of agricultural, fishery and other goods are properly handled by China without delays. Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported that shipments of sake and processed food from Japan to China were delayed due to diplomatic tensions, widening the tide of the dispute.
Officials with the government-affiliated Japan External Trade Organization told The Associated Press that the shipments had been held up at customs by China since late November. Kyodo, citing trade industry sources, said they believe the sake may have been targeted as “a symbol of Japan”.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said he was aware of reports that some of Japan’s exports to China had been halted. He did not comment on individual business deals.
“It is important that Japan’s agricultural, fishing and other exports run smoothly,” Kihara said. “We will monitor the situation closely and take appropriate action.” He did not say what those might be.
A little subtlety in the shots
Japan and China have a fraught history haunted by the Japanese colonization of Taiwan in 1895. The nations fought two wars, and the imperial government in Tokyo brutally occupied parts of China in the first half of the 20th century. The countries maintain diplomatic relations and work closely together on many fronts, but occasionally use government apparatuses to condemn each other when disputes arise.
China’s choice of expression in the People’s Daily editorial and other rhetoric was noteworthy. He avoided painting the Japanese people with a broad brush and specifically targeted the right wing of the country, to which Takaichi belongs. A report on Thursday about Japan’s nuclear ambitions repeatedly mentioned the right wing, and the People’s Daily editorial implored the “peace-loving Japanese people” to be “very vigilant” about their government.
“Japan’s future lies not in the dangerous fantasies painted by the right wing, but in the thorough consideration of its history of aggression,” the People’s Daily said.
Rare earths as a pressure point
Kihara, the government spokesman, said China’s existing rare earth export controls had caused “a serious impact on global supply chains”. “We believe that international trade in rare earths should run smoothly,” Kihara said.
Industry and Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa did not confirm whether China’s dual-use ban included new measures on rare earths. Azakawa said the impact on Japanese industries is already significant because about 70 percent of rare earths, used in a wide range of products such as electronic parts and cars, are imported from China.
“Rare earths are extremely important minerals, and export controls have already affected our country enormously,” Akazawa said. He did not comment on whether Japan would consider retaliation.
Praising South Korea
China also expressed positive sentiments about South Korea during a visit this week by its president, Lee Jae Myung, who met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. After signing millions of new export contracts, Lee announced “a new chapter in the development of Korea-China relations.”
During his visit, Chinese state media – which has recently warned that travel to Japan by Chinese nationals could be dangerous – provided unflattering coverage and said Chinese travelers going out to South Korea during the New Year outnumbered those from Japan.
Relations between Beijing and Tokyo showed at least one small positive sign on Friday. At a Foreign Ministry briefing in Beijing, spokesman Mao Ning was informed that a former Japanese ambassador to China had died. She expressed her condolences to the country.
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Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.