The foreign ministers of China and Japan held talks in Busan, South Korea, which lasted more than 90 minutes and were the first in-depth talks since Yoko Kamikawa took office. During the talks, Wang Yi made three important demands to Yoko Kamikawa.
The first requirement is that China and Japan should establish a correct understanding that they do not pose a threat to each other and are cooperative partners of each other. This is the position that China has always maintained, and it mainly hopes that Japan will establish an attitude toward China based on peace and cooperation and eliminate mutual distrust.
The second requirement is that Japan respect each other's legitimate concerns, especially the Taiwan issue and the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water from Fukushima into the sea. These are China's concerns about two sensitive issues, and we hope that Japan will pay sufficient attention to and respond to them in order to maintain regional stability and security.
The third requirement is to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Japan. China and Japan are important economies in Asia and have great potential for economic and trade cooperation. It is hoped that the two countries will strengthen economic cooperation and push bilateral relations to a new height.
It is worth mentioning that Yoko Uekawa responded to these requests put forward by Wang Yi and expressed Japan's willingness to continue to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation and dialogue and communication. She also stressed that Japan's position on the Taiwan issue has not changed, and hopes to find an appropriate way to solve the problem of discharging nuclear contaminated water from Fukushima into the sea through dialogue with China.
After the talks between the Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers, Fumio Kishida has already begun to look for new targets. It is reported that Vietnam's first Vo Van Thanh recently visited Japan and upgraded Japan-Vietnam bilateral relations to the highest level of "comprehensive strategic partnership", a move that has attracted great attention from the outside world.
Japan's move has at least three major objectives. First, Japan wants to align itself with U.S. foreign policy and establish closer ties with Vietnam. The U.S. and Vietnam upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in September, followed by Japan, in an apparent effort to meet U.S. strategic needs. At present, five countries that have established a comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam include China, Russia, the ROK, India, and the United States, and Japan has become the sixth after joining the country. This shows that both the United States and Japan are eager to win over Vietnam.
Second, Japan is ready to take advantage of this opportunity to develop deeper cooperation with Vietnam in the field of security. Kishida has previously revealed that they are considering including Vietnam in the framework of Japan's "Security Capability Enhancement Support" (OSA). This means that Japan will provide Vietnam with more equipment, which will further complicate the situation in the South China Sea. After all, Japan has used the OSA to equip the Philippines and help it strengthen its presence in the South China Sea. Since 2020, Japan has also helped Vietnam build six patrol ships, which shows that Japan wants to make Vietnam the next "Philippines" and put more pressure on China.
Finally, Japan wants to compete with China for influence in Southeast Asia. The relationship between China and ASEAN countries is getting closer and closer, especially after the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, China's influence in the ASEAN region has been greatly enhanced, and the exchanges between the two sides have become closer. Japan is very worried about this, because ASEAN countries are also important partners of Japan, especially Vietnam as Japan's main investment market. After taking office, Yoko Kamikawa made Vietnam one of the first countries to visit and took the lead in going to Vietnam to discuss the improvement of bilateral relations. Therefore, Vietnam has become a new "strategic target" for Fumio Kishida, and Japan will increase its involvement in the situation in the South China Sea.
However, the U.S.-Japan strategy may be too hasty. There is an old saying in China that "you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry", and the United States and Japan are so brazenly trying to woo Vietnam, which is obviously aimed at China. However, Vietnam has repeatedly stated publicly that it will not take sides in the great power competition. In addition, promises made by the United States and Japan are rarely kept, and they have only been fulfilled very few times in the past. In contrast, China has always taken concrete actions to safeguard the relationship between the two countries. Recently, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao also made a special trip to Vietnam and reached a number of consensus with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on promoting cooperation between the two countries. Therefore, the strategy of the United States and Japan to use Vietnam to confront China basically does not work. Vietnam will also weigh the pros and cons, and if it chooses a side, it will only bring more trouble to itself.
This article focuses on the key requirements of the talks between the foreign ministers of China and Japan, as well as Japan's search for a new target, Vietnam. During the talks between the Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers, Wang Yi put forward three important demands to Yoko Kamikawa, and Yoko Kamikawa responded positively. However, this is only a verbal promise, and Japan currently has some contradictions with China in the ** field, so their posture may not be tough. However, Fumio Kishida has set his sights on Vietnam, hoping to use Vietnam to cooperate with it and cause more trouble for China in the South China Sea. They hope to expand their influence in Southeast Asia by establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam and strengthening cooperation in the field of security. But the U.S.-Japan strategy may be too quick to achieve quick results, and Vietnam has shown that it will not take sides in the great power competition. China has always taken concrete actions to safeguard relations between the two countries, and has made some progress in promoting cooperation with Vietnam. Therefore, the U.S.-Japan strategy may not work.