Japan’s newly released Diplomatic Bluebook has caused a further rift in China-Japan relations, with Beijing fiercely criticising Tokyo for its “outrageous claims of the China threat.” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Tuesday urged Japan to “ redress its mistakes and honour its words on a stable relationship with China through concrete actions.”
The 2021 edition of the annual foreign policy report, which was released on Tuesday, highlighted Tokyo’s “strong concerns” regarding China’s expansion of military capabilities, its lack of transparency, and increasingly frequent unilateral actions to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific. According to the Chinese state-owned media house Global Times, the bluebook mentions China 273 times, further instigates the “China threat theory”, and clearly announces “the strategy of cooperating with the US to contain China.”
The document also points to China’s military build-up and its many activities in the East and the South China Seas, which it says “have become a serious security concern” to Tokyo. In this regard, the report criticises Beijing’s recently passed China Coast Guard (CCG) Law and claims that Chinese police vessels around the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands entered “Japanese territorial waters” which “violates international law.
China has also been upset by Japan’s criticism of Beijing’s activities in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang. Significantly, for the first time ever, the 2021 edition also includes China-US relations as a separate section, which China views as a “strategy of cooperation with the US [United States] in order to contain China’s military expansion.” China has expressed dissatisfaction in the past over Japan’s close defence relationship with the US. Last month, during US defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit to Tokyo, the US and Japan agreed to closely cooperate in case of a military confrontation between Beijing and Taipei. China responded to this development by urging the US to “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.”
According to the bluebook, Japan also intends to further strengthen cooperation with other countries through bilateral and multilateral dialogues to promote freedom of navigation and rule of law in international waters. This includes the Quad grouping that Tokyo is a part of, along with India, the US, and Australia. China has previously accused the Quad of being an Indo-Pacific version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that seeks to undermine Beijing’s rise.
Wang responded to the report by telling a press conference that Japan’s latest blue book has “maliciously attacked and slandered China and interfered in China's internal affairs.” He further added that “Japan’s new diplomatic bluebook plays up the so-called ‘China threat,’ viciously attacks and smears China, and unjustifiably interferes in China’s internal affairs. China is firmly opposed to this and has lodged solemn representations with Japan through diplomatic channels.” The official also said that Japan’s actions, and not simply its words, should reflect the importance of its important ties with China.
Japan-China Tensions Heat Up Over Tokyo’s 2021 Diplomatic Bluebook
The 2021 Edition of Tokyo’s 2021 edition of the Diplomatic Bluebook underscores Japan’s growing distrust in China due to the lack of transparency surrounding Beijing’s military expansion.
April 28, 2021
SOURCE: ISSEI KATO/AP