China should be aware that Japan is adopting a ‘double track’ policy: experts
While China and Japan should strengthen cooperation to counter the adverse effects of the “America First” policy, China should watch out for Japan’s “double track” policy, experts warned on Monday after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Monday speech appeared to send a sign of goodwill.
Japan would proceed from a broad situation and cooperate with China in order to meet the increasing demand for infrastructure in Asia, Abe said in a policy address on the first day of a 150-day regular session of parliament that convened on Monday, Tokyo-based Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.
“Japan experienced harsh pressure due to US President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ policy, and it intends to disperse the pressure by improving relations with China and the EU in the economic field,” Yang Bojiang, deputy director of the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Yang also suggested that China should welcome the “olive branch” held out by Japan since improving relationship with Japan is also in China’s interest, which is also adversely affected by the US policy.
Abe also mentioned that Japan would pursue “an Indian Ocean-Pacific strategy with freedom and openness.”
“While strengthening cooperation in the economic field, Japan is trying to build an ‘Asia Democratic Security Diamond’ to contain the rise of China,” Yang said, adding that China should be aware that Japan is adopting a doubletrack policy.
Abe unveiled the concept of an “Asia Democratic Security Diamond,” whereby Australia, India, Japan and the US state of Hawaii form a diamond to “safeguard the maritime commons stretching from the Indian Ocean region to the western Pacific” after he was re-elected prime minister in 2012.
“Japan most actively promotes the security diamond,” Yang said.
“While improving relations with Japan, China should also stay alert to avoid the pitfall of the Indian Ocean-Pacific Strategy led by Japan,” said Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.