Sanae Takaichi Kneels and Offers Flowers in Australia; Chinese State Media: Presenting a 'Letter of Submission' to the West
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's act of offering flowers in Australia was criticized by Chinese state media as presenting a 'letter of submission' to the West. This is interpreted as Japan strengthening its cooperation with Western countries and demonstrating its stance against China.
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- 📰 Published: May 8, 2026 at 20:19
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 20:32 (12 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 8, 2026 at 21:54 (1h 22m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Liao Wen-chi, Shanghai, 8th) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently visited Australia and knelt to offer flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Canberra War Memorial. The WeChat official account "Niu Tan Qin," which has a Chinese state media background, claimed that Japan's purpose was to present a "letter of submission" to Western countries such as the United States.
Regarding Takaichi's kneeling and offering flowers in Australia, Niu Tan Qin published an article on the 6th, asking in return: "Why can't she go to Nanjing and kneel before the spirits of 300,000 victims?"
The article stated that Takaichi did not and could not go to China or South Korea to kneel, but chose to kneel in Australia, which was not a main battlefield of World War II. "This is just another form of a letter of submission, showing Japan's posture to the West and paving the way for military normalization."
The article also stated that Takaichi's kneeling in Australia was for the United States and the United Kingdom behind Australia. Especially to strengthen cooperation among "like-minded" partners, such as the "Quad" formed by Japan, Australia, India, and the United States, and the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) cooperation framework formed by Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Another purpose was for rare earths.
Foreign reports stated that Sanae Takaichi met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra on the 4th. The two sides issued a joint declaration on economic security cooperation, agreeing to jointly promote a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" (FOIP) and strengthen coordination and cooperation in energy, rare earths and other critical minerals, and food.
The joint declaration also expressed "strong concern" about export restriction measures that could have significant negative impacts on supply chains, which is seen as targeting China's increased economic pressure using rare earths and other resources in recent years.
The New York Times Chinese website reported on the 7th that Sanae Takaichi's visits to Vietnam and Australia, while seemingly standard diplomatic trips, were actually Japan's "opening show," intended to demonstrate that Japan is a stable and strong force in the Asia-Pacific region.
The report pointed out that although Sanae Takaichi rarely directly named China, she seemed intent on leveraging the growing anxiety of Asian countries and Australia over Beijing's increasingly assertive military and economic policies.
The report mentioned that when Sanae Takaichi visited Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, she stated that her goal was to advance the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" concept proposed by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. This concept is seen as a way to counterbalance China. She said that like-minded countries need to strengthen cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, rare earths, and infrastructure construction to avoid "over-reliance on a single country for critical materials." (Editor: Yang Sheng-ru) 1150508
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(Central News Agency reporter Liao Wen-chi, Shanghai, 8th) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently visited Australia and knelt to offer flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Canberra War Memorial. The WeChat official account "Niu Tan Qin," which has a Chinese state media background, claimed that Japan's purpose was to present a "letter of submission" to Western countries such as the United States.
Regarding Takaichi's kneeling and offering flowers in Australia, Niu Tan Qin published an article on the 6th, asking in return: "Why can't she go to Nanjing and kneel before the spirits of 300,000 victims?"
The article stated that Takaichi did not and could not go to China or South Korea to kneel, but chose to kneel in Australia, which was not a main battlefield of World War II. "This is just another form of a letter of submission, showing Japan's posture to the West and paving the way for military normalization."
The article also stated that Takaichi's kneeling in Australia was for the United States and the United Kingdom behind Australia. Especially to strengthen cooperation among "like-minded" partners, such as the "Quad" formed by Japan, Australia, India, and the United States, and the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) cooperation framework formed by Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Another purpose was for rare earths.
Foreign reports stated that Sanae Takaichi met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra on the 4th. The two sides issued a joint declaration on economic security cooperation, agreeing to jointly promote a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" (FOIP) and strengthen coordination and cooperation in energy, rare earths and other critical minerals, and food.
The joint declaration also expressed "strong concern" about export restriction measures that could have significant negative impacts on supply chains, which is seen as targeting China's increased economic pressure using rare earths and other resources in recent years.
The New York Times Chinese website reported on the 7th that Sanae Takaichi's visits to Vietnam and Australia, while seemingly standard diplomatic trips, were actually Japan's "opening show," intended to demonstrate that Japan is a stable and strong force in the Asia-Pacific region.
The report pointed out that although Sanae Takaichi rarely directly named China, she seemed intent on leveraging the growing anxiety of Asian countries and Australia over Beijing's increasingly assertive military and economic policies.
The report mentioned that when Sanae Takaichi visited Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, she stated that her goal was to advance the "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" concept proposed by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. This concept is seen as a way to counterbalance China. She said that like-minded countries need to strengthen cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, rare earths, and infrastructure construction to avoid "over-reliance on a single country for critical materials." (Editor: Yang Sheng-ru) 1150508
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.