Global Markets
Home›Global Markets›Asia›China intensifies rhetoric on Japan amid escalating di…
China intensifies rhetoric on Japan amid escalating diplomatic dispute
China says Japan’s actions reflect “new militarism,” while Japan rejects the label and points to China’s expanding, opaque military build-up.
China and Japan are trading sharply worded accusations as an escalating diplomatic crisis deepens, with Beijing intensifying rhetoric against what it calls Japan’s “new militarism.” According to SCMP Economy, China is drawing on World War II-era history as it seeks regional and global sympathy for its position.
Japan has rejected the characterization as “false claims,” arguing instead that it is a defender of regional security and a peace oriented country. SCMP Economy also notes Tokyo frames itself as a victim of “coercion,” while criticizing China for expanding what it describes as “opaque” military build-ups.
Japan’s view is that its concerns about China’s military posture and “challenges to the established rules” should be of interest to the international community. SCMP Economy adds that, even as China’s campaign seeks traction abroad, several countries between the Asia Pacific region and Europe have continued deepening defense cooperation with Tokyo.
SCMP Economy reports that Shen Yi, executive director of the Centre for National Security Studies at Fudan University, said China faces a global narrative that has obscured World War II fascist atrocities committed by Japan against China and other nations and that have not been fully addressed internationally.