On December 9, Japan's Kyodo News Agency released a so-called scoop that was delayed for a month, saying that Lieutenant General He Lei, former vice president of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, expressed in a previous interview that he "does not want war, but is not afraid of war" on the issue of the Diaoyu Islands (known as the Senkaku Islands in Japanese).
Kyodo News tried to deduce from Lieutenant General He Lei's words that China intends to include the Diaoyu Islands as a strategic objective while resolving the Taiwan issue by force. Kyodo News also made a fuss and said that it is very rare for a Chinese person to mention "war" on the issue of the Diaoyu Islands, which shows China's strong will to seize territory.
Lieutenant General He Lei also mentioned the Taiwan issue, stressing that "external forces will never be allowed to interfere in China's core interests."
Kyodo News Agency asked: As Diaoyu Dao is part of Taiwan Province, is it possible to seize Diaoyu Dao while reunifying Taiwan according to China's claim?
Lieutenant General He Lei replied: Theoretically, it is.
Kyodo News Agency believes that Lieutenant General Ho Lei's answer "does not deny" this possibility.
The timeliness and veracity of this news are questionable.
Kyodo News Agency said the interview was conducted during the 10th Xiangshan Forum, which was held from October 29 to 31, and the picture was taken by Lieutenant General He Lei at the forum.
So, why wait until more than a month later to take out this "blockbuster news"?
It turned out that on December 9, something happened that disturbed Japan: Chinese coast guard ships drove away Japanese fishing boats and patrol ships in the waters off the Diaoyu Islands.
Gan Yu, a spokesman for the China Coast Guard, said that on December 9, the Japanese fishing vessel Tsurumaru and several patrol vessels illegally entered the territorial waters of China's Diaoyu Islands, and the Chinese coast guard ships took necessary control measures against them in accordance with the law and warned them to leave.
Gan Yu stressed that Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands are China's inherent territory, and Chinese coast guard vessels carry out maritime rights protection and law enforcement activities in waters under its jurisdiction in accordance with the law, and the Japanese side has no right to make irresponsible remarks. He urged the Japanese side to immediately stop all illegal activities in the sea area and ensure that similar incidents do not occur again.
Chinese coast guard ships patrol the waters of the Diaoyu Islands almost daily. Ships are getting bigger and more managed. In the past, Chinese coast guard vessels have also driven away Japanese fishing boats and patrol vessels, but officials have tended to keep a low profile and refrain from making announcements.
However, since the beginning of this year, the attitude of the China Coast Guard has changed significantly, and it has begun to take the initiative to release information on eviction to demonstrate China's sovereignty and determination at home and abroad.
This caused Japan to feel pressure and panic. Japan's ** and people often complain about the "violation of territorial waters" by Chinese coast guard vessels, but they have not been able to stop the normal enforcement of the law by Chinese coast guard ships. Moreover, since the Chinese side will now announce the information in a timely manner, the Japanese side's concealment and deception of its own country are no longer effective.
Kyodo News Agency may want to borrow the words of Lieutenant General He Lei to create **, smear China, and incite confrontation. But this approach not only failed to achieve its goal, but instead exposed Japan's weakness and incompetence.
In the eyes of some well-known and big V in Japan, Lieutenant General He Lei is a representative hawk figure in China. (They probably don't know how conservative the views of conservatives in China are.......)）
In 2012, Japan unilaterally "nationalized" the Diaoyu Islands, which intensified Sino-Japanese relations. At that time, Lieutenant General He Lei warned Japan that if the Japanese side continued to provoke, the Chinese People's Liberation Army would have a strong will and determination to resolutely defend national sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity. (Japanese media report).
At last year's Shangri-La Forum, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tried to label China as "changing the status quo by strength or force" in his speech. Lieutenant General He Lei refuted on the spot and did not accept Japan's accusations.
The actions of the Chinese Coast Guard vessels in the waters off the Diaoyu Islands are a legitimate move by China to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests. This is not a one-time accident, but a long-term, stable, and orderly law enforcement model. The formation of this model is based on China's national strategy and laws and regulations, and will not change because of Japan's ** and ** hype.
This news from Kyodo News Agency is nothing more than a frivolous hype that has no new ideas or value. It cannot change the fact that Diaoyu Dao is China's inherent territory, nor can it shake China's determination to safeguard its sovereignty and interests. Japan should face up to reality, abandon illusions, respect history, abide by the law, and coexist peacefully with China, instead of creating incidents, provoking disputes, and seeking trouble.