Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has more challenges to face. Kishida admits that he has "run hard all the way", but his approval rating is not low, reaching 57% after 100 days in power, higher than his predecessor Suga's 39%, ranking third among previous prime ministers. Kishida's "start" has been good, but his "mid-game" ability has yet to be tested, especially in dealing with Japan's relations with China and the United States, he needs to show diplomatic wisdom, rather than simply choosing sides.
According to the "Reference News" on January 18, Kishida recently delivered a speech in the Diet, on the issue of relations with China, he said, "I will be blunt about China." He said this year marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of relations between Japan and China, and he hopes to "shape a constructive and stable bilateral relationship."
Judging from Kishida's diplomatic actions, he is very "proactive", within 100 days of his tenure, he spoke with the leaders of 12 countries, participated in 6 international summits online, and personally went to the United Kingdom to attend the United Nations climate summit. And Kishida himself is also a person who is very "interested" in diplomacy, he once served as Japan's foreign minister, and when he became prime minister, he also served as foreign minister for a period of time.
For the Japanese prime minister, the most important thing in diplomacy is how to handle Japan's relations with China and the United States, especially in the context of the Sino-US game, how to find a balance between the two countries, which is not an easy question. After Kishida took office, he immediately flew to the United Kingdom, ostensibly to "pay attention to climate issues", but in fact, to "meet and connect with Biden as soon as possible" and show the United States that "the United States and Japan are important allies and will not change".
However, Kishida is not completely tilted towards the United States, and he also wants to maintain a dialogue with China, even "outspoken dialogue". He made a surprising decision on the selection of foreign ministers, appointing Lin Fangzheng, who is proficient in Chinese and has extensive contacts with China, as foreign minister, and let a "Zhihua faction" be in charge of foreign affairs, which also shows his intention to strengthen communication with the Chinese side. At this point, he is more sober than ** and Suga.
Kishida also knows that Japan cannot rely entirely on the United States, because the United States is not a reliable partner or an ally that respects Japan. The United States only treats Japan as a "pawn", a "war dog" led by the United States, and a political "dwarf". The fact that the United States has disregarded Japan's interests and Japan's epidemic prevention has allowed the US military to wantonly spread the virus in Japan, leading to a new round of epidemic outbreak in Japan. So, in addition to ostensibly pandering to the United States, Kishida also wants to build a constructive and stable bilateral relationship with China, because it is beneficial to Japan.
There is also a lot of room for cooperation in China-Japan relations, and there are also many issues that need to be communicated. On the one hand, China is Japan's largest partner, Japan needs the Chinese market, and cooperation with China is good for Japan's economyOn the other hand, if Japan follows the United States in confronting China, it will not be China's opponent politically or militarily, and it will also invite China's countermeasures. What's more, Japan is geographically close to China, and China has good relations with Russia, which is a big threat to Japan. Therefore, Kishida wants to establish a constructive and stable bilateral relationship with China, and it is also for the sake of Japan's security.
On the other side of the world, tensions between the United States and Russia continue, and both sides are preparing "war plans", which makes EU countries very worried, because if the United States and Russia do go to war, the whole of Europe will become a "chessboard". According to the Observer Network on January 18**, German Foreign Minister Baerbock is visiting Ukraine, and he threatened Russia not to launch an attack on Ukraine, otherwise it will "pay the price". However, it is still unknown whether such "intimidation" will work, because there is no way for Russia to retreat.
In fact, the EU countries do not want to see the United States and Russia go to war, because this is a disaster for them, whether it is to support the United States against Russia, or to maintain neutrality and not participate, they will suffer huge losses, once the war spreads, EU countries will be involved in it, which is a nightmare for Western countries that have been enjoying peace and development after World War II, and they are not willing to take such a big risk for Ukraine. Interestingly, the United Kingdom, which has left the European Union and is geographically the "farthest" from Russia among European countries, is "adding fuel to the fire" by providing Ukraine with anti-armor protection systems?Are they really not afraid of war?Before, when Ukraine asked Germany for equipment, Germany did not dare to say it clearly, for fear of provoking anger, so the German foreign minister threatened Russia, not to start a war, but to stop the war.