Japanese Scholar: No Signs of Resumed Dialogue Between China and Japan; Taiwan Becomes Important Issue

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (CNA) -- The 39th Asia Pacific Roundtable (APR) concluded today, with Sino-Japanese relations emerging as one of the focal points. In an interview with CNA, Japanese scholar Ken Jimbo expressed concern over the continued deterioration of China-Japan relations since November last year, stating that there are still no signs of resumed dialogue. He also noted that many accusations made by China against Japan do not align with Japan's actual actions.

He further pointed out that Taiwan has undoubtedly become an important issue in bilateral relations between China and Japan. However, instead of repeatedly focusing on Taiwan itself, its strategic value to Japan and the United States should be demonstrated through closer economic and trade exchanges, as well as cooperation in investment and supply chains.

Ken Jimbo, a professor at Keio University's Faculty of Policy Management and chairman of the Asia Pacific Initiative (API), was interviewed by CNA yesterday after attending the first session, "Disordered World Order," to discuss the recent sustained tensions in Sino-Japanese relations and Taiwan's role.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks last November regarding "a Taiwan contingency" drew strong dissatisfaction from Beijing. In May of this year, Japan and the Philippines announced the launch of negotiations to demarcate their exclusive economic zones in the East China Sea, which again provoked a strong reaction from Beijing.

Jimbo explained that from a technical standpoint, this is related to Prime Minister Takaichi's statement on "existential crisis situations." "Existential crisis situations" is a specific term in Japan's security and legal framework, referring to a legal concept that allows Japan to exercise relevant security measures in crisis situations.

He pointed out that because this concept could apply to an emergency situation in the Taiwan Strait, it triggered a strong backlash from China. China believes this action violates its fundamental principles for handling bilateral relations and considers it a "zero-sum issue" that is difficult to resolve through negotiation.

Regarding China's continuous criticism of Japan moving towards "new militarism," Jimbo stated that Japan is also carefully listening to how China views and responds to this issue.

However, he believes that many of the accusations made by China against Japan do not fit the context of Japan's actual actions.

He said that Japan understands this is a way for China to express its dissatisfaction and recognizes that Beijing views Japan's actions as a strategic challenge to China. Tensions between the two sides remain, but in the absence of effective communication, military exercises and various military activities continue in the region. He added that continuing in the current state "is not a healthy development trend."

According to Jimbo's analysis, China and Japan have a crisis management mechanism, the "maritime and air communication mechanism," but this mechanism does not seem to be effectively promoting mutual communication. Therefore, the current situation is quite dangerous. If a crisis escalates, it will be difficult for both sides to de-escalate the situation, and communication will become even more challenging.

The 39th Asia Pacific Roundtable (APR) was held in Kuala Lumpur from June 30 to July 2. This year's theme was "Accelerating Agency and Action," bringing together government officials, scholars, think tanks, and business representatives from the Asia-Pacific region to exchange views on geopolitical, security, and economic issues.

The agenda for this year's APR covered topics such as "Disordered World Order," "Sino-Indian Geopolitical Competition under the Global South," "Reviewing ASEAN Mechanisms," "Asia-Pacific Nuclear Arms," and "Critical Minerals and Supply Chain Restructuring," reflecting regional common concerns in Asia-Pacific security and geopolitics. (Editor: Tian Ruihua) July 2, 202015