{"id":1749,"date":"2025-03-25T00:00:11","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T00:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/two-faced-diplomacy-china-pledges-peace-before-chasing-down-japans-fishing-boat\/"},"modified":"2025-03-25T00:00:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T00:00:11","slug":"two-faced-diplomacy-china-pledges-peace-before-chasing-down-japans-fishing-boat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/en\/two-faced-diplomacy-china-pledges-peace-before-chasing-down-japans-fishing-boat\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Two-Faced Diplomacy’: China Pledges Peace Before Chasing Down Japan’s Fishing Boat"},"content":{"rendered":"

The event sparked online outrage in Japan, leading to calls for more stringent measures against China\u2019s \u2018authoritarian breaches of international law\u2019.<\/p>\n

\n Beijing has been accused of “two-faced diplomacy” after pledging greater dialogue and cooperation during high-level talks in Tokyo on Saturday, only for three Chinese coastguard vessels to enter waters around Japanese-controlled islands the next day, pursuing a Japanese fishing boat.\n<\/p>\n

\n Japan
\n Japan\u2019s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya expressed optimism after the trilateral meeting with his Chinese and South Korean counterparts on Saturday. He characterized the talks as \u201can open exchange of opinions\u201d and stated that the three countries agreed to \u201cfoster forward-looking collaboration.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Chinese Foreign Minister
\n Wang Yi
\n seemed to concur, stating in a release that improved dialogue and teamwork could assist the trio of countries in “collectively combating threats” and boosting their reciprocal comprehension.\n<\/p>\n

\n Contemplating the worldwide issues that had drawn Japan, China, and
\n South Korea
\n To \u201ca pivotal moment in history,\u201d Iwaya stressed the importance of bridging divides on Saturday. He stated, \u201cNow more than ever, it is crucial to strive to transcend division and conflict via dialogue and collaboration.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\n But the goodwill generated by these statements quickly began to evaporate when, less than 24 hours later, Chinese coastguard vessels entered waters near the
\n Diaoyu Islands
\n . The islands, administered by Japan as the Senkakus but claimed by China, have long been a flashpoint in the region.\n<\/p>\n

\n Experts noted that the coast guard\u2019s behavior contradicted the cooperative ethos promoted during negotiations and reflected China’s diplomatic style\u2014presenting itself as collaborative externally while reinforcing territorial assertions in disputed regions.\n<\/p>\n

\n Many individuals express pessimism following China\u2019s statements and ensuing activities; however, few are truly taken aback,” noted Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, an associate professor at Tokyo International University’s Institute for International Strategy, in conversation with This Week in Asia. “Those who find themselves shocked by these developments lack perceptiveness.\n<\/p>\n

\n Hinata-Yamaguchi described Beijing\u2019s strategy as \u201cshowing a pleasant facade\u201d publicly while aggressively reinforcing its territorial assertions. He explained, \u201cAlthough they claim benign intent in diplomatic circles, their deeds convey a different message.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\n<\/div>\n

\n ‘Sink ships, arrest trespassers’
\n<\/h3>\n

\n The events over the weekend sparked significant anger online in Japan, where people were not just upset about China\u2019s behavior but also criticized their own government for what they saw as inadequate response. In comments on Okinawa’s Yaeyama Daily News website, one user condemned Beijing’s approach, calling it “duplicitous diplomacy.”\n<\/p>\n

\n The commenter proceeded to assert that the Japanese government was being “duped” and cautioned that Japan might relinquish control over the contested islands if it persisted in trusting China.\n<\/p>\n

\n “One cannot condone China\u2019s oppressive breaches of international law,\u201d stated an online remark. Other comments urged Tokyo to take more stringent actions, with some users advocating for legal amendments allowing Japan to \u201csubmerge vessels, detain intruders, and prosecute them in courts.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n “The Japanese government just gives warnings without taking action, allowing China to act as they please,” the commentator noted.\n<\/p>\n

\n Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor of political science and international relations at Waseda University, noted that there was significant distrust toward Beijing within the Japanese government. He explained, \u201cTheir statements often contradict their actions.\u201d This sentiment was further illustrated when, on the very day that the foreign minister expressed his desire for collaboration to maintain regional stability, the Chinese coast guard entered Japanese territorial waters and intimidated a fishing vessel.\n<\/p>\n

\n We can’t rely on China to keep its diplomatic commitments.\n<\/div>\n
\n Toshimitsu Shigemura, a Japanese professor specializing in politics\n<\/div>\n

\n “We can’t rely on China to keep its diplomatic commitments,” Shigemura stated, suggesting that this indicates possible tensions within the Chinese administration.\n<\/p>\n

\n He suggested that the defense ministry might have feared the foreign minister could travel to Tokyo and reach an agreement with Japan that would undermine China\u2019s territorial assertions over those islands. However, by dispatching coast guard vessels into Japanese maritime areas concurrently with discussions between the two counterparts, they are essentially conveying the stance held by the defense ministry.\n<\/p>\n

\n In recent years, Chinese coast guard ships have been increasingly venturing into Japanese territorial waters more often, a trend that has become particularly noticeable over the last ten years.
\n A remarkable 353 days of operation were logged.
\n In the contiguous zones surrounding the islands earlier this year. Experts think these moves are intended to challenge Japan’s authority over the contested area.\n<\/p>\n

\n Shigemura cautioned that Beijing might intensify the pressure even more, which would leave Japan few choices if a Japanese fishing vessel were to be forcefully halted or seized by China\u2019s maritime police.\n<\/p>\n

\n In a dire scenario like that, Tokyo has limited options,” he stated. “Force isn\u2019t an option for them, so their main leverage would be threatening to withhold support. Under these circumstances, I anticipate Tokyo might propose resolving the issue via talks and discussions; however, China could interpret this stance as a sign of weakness.\n<\/p>\n

\n “I anticipate that China will continue exerting pressure around the islands since their ultimate aim is to attempt gaining control over the entire archipelago,” Shigemura noted.\n<\/p>\n

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\n Churchome is the preferred place of worship for Justin Bieber. Previously associated with the contentious Hillsong network, this connection could potentially create a rift between the ‘Baby’ singer and his spouse, Hailey Bieber.\n<\/p>\n

\n China declares shared navy exercises with Thailand close to a South China Sea harbor.\n<\/p>\n

\n World Cup victor praises progress in women’s rugby, prior to captaining Kiwis at Tradition HKFC 10s\n<\/p>\n

\n The article initially appeared on the South ChinaMorning Post (www.scmp.com), which is the premier source for news coverage of China andAsia.\n<\/p>\n

\n Copyright \u00a9 2025. South ChinaMorning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The event sparked online outrage in Japan, leading to calls for more stringent measures against China\u2019s \u2018authoritarian breaches of international law\u2019. Beijing has been accused of “two-faced diplomacy” after pledging greater dialogue and cooperation during high-level talks in Tokyo on Saturday, only for three Chinese coastguard vessels to enter waters around Japanese-controlled islands the next […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[466,409,408,433,316],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diplomacy-and-diplomats","category-foreign-policy","category-international-relations","category-military","category-politics"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/AA1BzXf2-1.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1749\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sanggraloka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}