Chinese State Media: "Pro-American Opportunistic Japanese Diplomacy Will Pay the Price"
Core of Sino-Russian Military Drills Near Hokkaido Is 'Counterattack'
[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Cho Young-shin] China's state-run Global Times harshly criticized Japan's opportunistic diplomacy while reporting on Russian President Vladimir Putin's observation of the 'Vostok (East) 2022' joint military exercises.
On the 7th, Global Times published an article titled "Conducting China-Russia Peacekeeping Exercises to Stop Regional Troublemakers," warning that Japan is blindly following the United States in imposing sanctions on Russia and will pay the price for it.
Japan protested the Vostok 2022 joint military exercises conducted near the Kuril Islands, over which it claims sovereignty, but the allied forces including China and Russia proceeded with the exercises as planned, Global Times reported.
It also claimed that Japan is assisting the U.S. in containing Russia and China, and argued that China and Russia must work together to prevent potential risks in the Taiwan Strait and the Kuril Islands.
In fact, Hirokazu Matsuno, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, expressed serious concern over the military exercises near the waters surrounding Hokkaido. Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi also strongly opposed the exercises, calling them highly inappropriate and absolutely unacceptable, stating that Japan would protest through diplomatic channels.
Chui Heng, a researcher at the Russia Research Center of East China Normal University, said, "Tensions between Russia and Japan escalated as Japan followed the U.S. in imposing sanctions on Russia," adding, "From Moscow’s perspective, Tokyo sided with Washington, so Russia’s stance toward Japan will become even tougher." He also predicted that Russia will not make any compromises regarding sovereignty disputes such as the Kuril Islands and that Russian military activities in the waters around Japan will expand.
Global Times assessed Japan’s diplomatic strategy negatively, stating that Japan miscalculated by actively imposing sanctions on Russia, believing the U.S. would be a lever in the territorial dispute (Kuril Islands), and that Japan has always pursued opportunistic diplomacy.
While Global Times pressured Japan by mentioning Russia and the Kuril Islands, it appears to be indirectly referring to Taiwan and the Senkaku Islands (Chinese name Diaoyu Islands) as well.
The outlet emphasized that the Vostok 2022 joint exercises are routine military drills not aimed at any third party, but noted that the core theme of the exercises conducted in Russia’s Far East was "counterattack." It reaffirmed that the maritime exercises were targeted at Japan. Global Times warned that if Japan interferes in China’s internal Taiwan issue, China will cooperate with Russia to prevent actions that undermine regional peace and stability.
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