Washington (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Japan's new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in the United
States to forge a new and closer alliance with the Unit States in opposition to
China. Elected in December, the hawkish Abe arrived in Washington yesterday. Today
he is scheduled to meet US President Barack Obama. The timing of the visit is
not accidental, given rising tensions with China over a group of islands and
North Korea's ever-dangerous threats
.In an interview
with a US paper ahead of his trip, Abe voiced hope that the US alliance - and
the presence of 47,000 American troops on Japanese soil under a security treaty
- would send a message to China. "It is important for us to have them recognise
that it is impossible to try to get their way by coercion or intimidation," Abe
explained.
VIDEO: CHINA REJECTS ABE’S ACCUSATIONS CCTV News - CNTV English
The Chinese foreign ministry on Friday continued to slam Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe, who pointed the finger at China on a slate of
domestic issues during an interview prior to his visit to the US.
The ministry accused Japan of playing up the "China threat" with ulterior motives.
"China
is strongly dissatisfied with the Japanese leader's comments that
distort facts, attack and defame China and stir up confrontations
between the two countries," Hong Lei, spokesman for the foreign
ministry, told a press briefing.
Hong's comments followed others
from Thursday and came in response to Abe's accusations, which claimed
China had a "deeply ingrained" need to spar with Japan and neighboring
countries to "maintain domestic support," according to the Washington
Post.
Echoing the Chinese side's requirement for immediate
clarifications, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga
explained Friday that the newspaper misquoted Abe's remarks and had
caused a misunderstanding.
Suga said the prime minister has
repeatedly emphasized the Japan-China relationship and would push
forward strategic and mutually beneficial relations.
Despite the
explanation, the transcript of the exclusive interview published by the
Washington Post on Thursday showed that the hawkish Japanese leader
lambasted China's political and education systems among other issues.
During
the interview, Abe said that under the one-party rule of the Communist
Party and having introduced a market economy, China needs to maintain
high economic growth by seeking resources through coercion or
intimidation while teaching patriotism mirroring an "anti-Japanese
sentiment."
"Obviously, Abe tries to tarnish China's image in the
international community and hype up the 'China threat' before talks
with Obama in order to win US sympathy and support," Lü Yaodong, a
researcher of Japanese politics at the Chinese Academy of Social
Sciences, told the Global Times Friday.
Hong said that only
Chinese people have the right to speak about whether China's political
system and development strategy are suitable.
"Only those with political bias and ulterior motives would maliciously interpret and blame them," he noted.
Huang
Dahui, director of the Center for East Asia Studies at the Renmin
University of China, told the Global Times that this reflected the
"value-oriented" diplomacy Abe has been adopting to "flatter" the US,
adding that the hawkish Japanese leader has also stressed propaganda
throughout his political career.
Abe was scheduled to meet Obama
on Friday. During a press conference on Thursday, White House Deputy
National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said the meeting is a "further
symbol of the President's commitment to the US-Japan alliance as a
cornerstone of US economic and security policy, and as a cornerstone of
the US-Asia policy."
Danny Russel, senior director for Asia at
the National Security Council, said the two leaders are expected to
discuss maritime security issues and territorial claims both in the East
China Sea and the South China Sea.
In his interview with the
Washington Post, Abe also warned that without changing its current
policy, China would lose the confidence of the international community,
which will result in a loss of foreign investment.
"The logic is
ridiculous. It is Japan that has stirred up provocation by
'nationalizing' the Diaoyu Islands. It should rethink its own policies,"
said Lü.
Regarding such remarks, Russel said Obama would listen
to Abe's assessment and views on the current situation in the East China
Sea and the consultations between Tokyo and Beijing. He added that the
US opposition to coercive actions or unilateral steps threatening the
stability of the region has been "clear."
A commentary carried by
the Xinhua News Agency on Friday said the US should not be "hijacked"
by Japan over the territorial dispute with China, as the US support for
Japan on this issue "would not only damage Washington's credibility as a
constructive superpower, but also as an important partner of China on
many pressing global issues."
Huang said in terms of
China-related issues, the US would show its support to Japan as an ally,
but would not be led by Japan to sacrifice the China-US relationship.
Sources: AsiaNews.it/Global Times
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