China slams Abe’s remarks
China's foreign ministry has asked Japan to make clarifications over remarks made by its Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in which he accused China of deliberately stirring up anti-Japanese sentiment for domestic support and seeking resources through coercion from neighboring countries.
During an interview with the Washington Post ahead of his visit to the US, Abe said China has a "deeply ingrained" need to spar with Japan and other Asian neighbors over territory, as the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) uses the disputes to maintain strong domestic support.
Abe also said that China's behavior of "coercion or intimidation" in the East China Sea and the South China Sea is eventually going to have an effect on its economic activity, because it will lead to loss of confidence among the international community, which will result in less investment in China, said the report.
"We are shocked at the related reports," foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told reporters after a regular press briefing on Thursday. "It's rare that a country's leader would brazenly distort facts, attack its neighbor and instigate confrontation among countries in the region."
Hong said China is committed to developing relations with Japan but will not sit by and watch the country distort China's diplomatic policy or make antagonistic moves regarding territorial issues.
China demands an immediate clarification and explanation from Japan on Abe's comments, Hong claimed.
Zhou Yongsheng, a professor of Japanese studies at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that the remarks by Abe don't make sense and are meant to tarnish China's image, noting that the inflammatory words would not affect China's relations with its Asian neighbors.
The Washington Post report came as Abe headed to the US, where he is scheduled to hold talks with President Barack Obama on Friday.
During the meeting, Abe is expected to raise the territorial dispute with China over the Diaoyu Islands among other issues.
"It is important for us to have them (Chinese authorities) recognize that it is impossible to try to get their way by coercion or intimidation. In that regard, the Japan-US alliance, as well as the US presence, would be critical," Abe told the Washington Post.
Meanwhile, Japan's Kyodo News reported Thursday that with a view to China's reinforcement of its military clout in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, the two leaders will hold consultations on strengthening maritime security cooperation in order to contain China.
Liu Jiangyong, a vice dean of the Institute of Modern International Relations under Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that Abe would be seeking a pledge from Obama that the Japan-US Security Treaty applies to the Diaoyu Islands issue, a stance that has been made repeatedly by the Obama administration but not by the president himself.
"If Obama does make the pledge, there will be another barrier in China-US relations, and the relations among the three powers will be led by Japan," warned Liu.
Gao Zugui, a researcher with the Institute for International Strategic Studies at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said that considering the US' current strategy in the Asia-Pacific region and the importance of its relations with China, Obama's response will not go beyond that made by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who stressed that Washington will not take sides on this territorial spat.
"Even if the president acknowledges that the treaty applies to the disputed islands, there'll be no major changes," said Gao, but he noted that Japan is sure to take advantage of it for a propaganda campaign over its disputes with China.
In addition to the Diaoyu Islands dispute, Abe and Obama are also expected to exchange views on the imposition of sanctions on North Korea, which recently completed its third nuclear test, and Japan's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Agencies contributed to this story
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