Relations between Japan and China are deteriorating rapidly. Again.
The ostensible cause of this downward spiral is remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that acknowledged the importance of a Taiwan crisis to Japan’s national security. Her statement of the obvious infuriated China, prompting Beijing to take a series of steps to punish Japan.
China has again resorted to economic coercion, part of a well-rehearsed diplomatic playbook. China seeks to intimidate Japan and encourage it to distance itself from Taiwan. The Japanese government must not bend. Taiwan is central to Japanese national security. China must learn that it cannot cow this nation — or others — and force them to put Chinese interests above their own.
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