China Intensifies Its Stance Against Japan Regarding Taiwan
Just days after China issued an advisory against traveling to Japan, the cancellations began. Approximately 3,000 Chinese individuals frequent Rie Takeda’s tearoom, nestled in an alley within Tokyo’s historic Asakusa district each year. Approximately 200 individuals have already canceled their reservations for her tea ceremony class, with cancellations extending as far ahead as January. “I just hope the Chinese tourists return by Chinese New Year,” she remarked, alluding to the significant holiday period in February. Previous experience indicates that it could require more time than anticipated. The Chinese government is resorting to a familiar strategy to convey its dissatisfaction with Japan, following the latter’s refusal to withdraw a statement made by its new prime minister regarding the contentious issue of Taiwan. Similar to its tariffs on Australian wines in 2020 and restrictions on Philippine banana imports in 2012, Beijing is leveraging its economic power to exert pressure on Tokyo while simultaneously directing a barrage of criticism at its government. The only question is how far China will go and how long the measures will last. “China’s countermeasures are all kept secret and will be rolled out one by one,” said Liu Jiangyong. “Everything is possible, because this involves the core of the nation’s core interests.”
China expressed its anger over a statement made by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi earlier this month, which suggested that Japan’s military could intervene if China were to take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing insists must come under its control. Japan is making efforts to prevent the feud from escalating, yet it has demonstrated no indication of retreating. This aligns with the responses of various governments to China’s pressure: maintaining their stances and enduring the consequences, permitting the disputes to linger for a year or longer. “The diplomatic challenge for both sides is that they have their own domestic audiences and so they don’t want to be perceived as backing down,” said Sheila A Smith. In numerous nations, the conflicts endured until a shift in political leadership introduced a new figure free from the weight of previous remarks. Since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s election in 2022, Australia’s trade with China has steadily returned to normal, culminating in the recent reopening of the lobster market. Canada has become the most recent nation to begin mending its relations under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Japan has encountered China’s economic wrath before. In 2012, a wave of protests targeted Japanese businesses in China, accompanied by a boycott of their products, following a dispute over a set of uninhabited islands claimed by both nations. Group tours to Japan have been cancelled. In light of past events, when the number of Chinese visitors decreased by one-fourth, economist Takahide Kiuchi has projected that the current travel advisory may result in a loss of 1.8 trillion yen (USD 11.5 billion) for Japan, potentially reducing its already modest annual economic growth by 0.3 percentage points. Numerous group tours have faced cancellations once more, adversely affecting businesses that depend on them. The Gamagori Hotel, located in central Japan’s Aichi prefecture, reported a loss of over 2,000 guests. Nichu Syomu reported that 300 bookings have been cancelled, characterizing the loss as similar to that experienced in 2012. China was poised this year to surpass South Korea and reclaim its status as the leading source of tourists to Japan, a position it held before the pandemic. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, more than 8 million Chinese visited in the first 10 months of this year, accounting for 23 per cent of the total.
“It’s a shame,” remarked Nichu Syomu tour operator Nana Enomoto, highlighting that Chinese tourism was only beginning to recover. Kyren Zhu, unfamiliar with Japan, wrestled with the decision. Her parents cautioned her about going. Ultimately, the accountant decided to cancel a trip with a friend to witness the fall foliage. Her friend proceeded to inform her that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. “If I’d known, I probably would have just gone,” she stated. “However, it is challenging to determine. The circumstances are truly beyond our influence.” Beijing resident Livia Du, who opened a ski lodge last year in northern Japan, experienced two cancellations; however, these were promptly filled by other Chinese guests. A customer expressed to her that, given China’s definitive position, he felt compelled to align with it. Another individual employed at a government-owned company stated that employees had been directed to refrain from traveling to Japan in the immediate future. “Guests appear to be in wait-and-see mode,” said Du. She expressed concern that the situation might deteriorate. Last week, the pressure seemed to permeate other sectors. The Chinese release of two Japanese movies has been unexpectedly delayed: the comedy “Cells at Work!” and the animated feature “Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Super Hot! The Spicy Kasukabe Dancers.” A comedy festival in Shanghai has cancelled performances by a Japanese entertainment company, while a book publishing editor reported that her supervisor instructed her to halt a project aimed at importing a Japanese comic book. The future of seafood exports to China is still uncertain, despite Tokyo’s denial of reports claiming that Beijing had announced a reversal of its two-year ban on Japanese seafood.
