Japan to China: ‘Sell us gear to make weapons to use against you’

Japan to China: ‘Sell us gear to make weapons to use against you’

By Nury Vittachi

22 mins ago

“SELL US WEAPONS parts we need to make missiles and drones to use against you.” A bizarre argument is running in East Asia. Japan’s war-thirsty new leader Sanae Takaichi announced her country would remilitarize and threatened to go to war with China.

Then came an “oops” moment. Takaichi seemed to have not realized that to do so, Tokyo will have to buy materials and equipment from its larger neighbor.

China last week made it clear in a statement that it did not wish to provide the necessary gear (understandably, it must be said).

This infuriated the Japanese leader, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs called China’s response “unacceptable and deeply regrettable”.


SHOCKING CONTEXT

The argument, as it stands, is curious enough. But it is even more striking, given the vital context: In East Asia, the Japanese army is equivalent to the Nazi army in Europe. It invokes shocking memories of extreme fascist violence.

Prime Minister Takaichi made a name for herself by saying that the Japanese army was to be revived and strengthened, ready for action in East Asia, which could include fighting China over the Chinese-owned territory of Taiwan.

To mature adults in Asia, this is equivalent to Germany saying to its European neighbors that the Waffen-SS and the Luftwaffe are planning a major comeback.

(Curiously, none of the western media coverage of the row makes any reference to this rather crucial piece of information.)
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NOT BANNING EXPORTS

The exact wording of China’s response makes interesting reading. To be clear, China did NOT say it will stop exporting goods to Japan. The January 6 statement from China’s Ministry of Commerce, says exports of items for peaceful purposes are fine, but prohibits the export of dual-use items Japan uses “for military purposes”.

Beijing has long espoused the philosophy that countries can maintain or grow their militaries, but they should always be defensive, never offensive. The Chinese pioneered the “no first use” principle when nuclear weapons started to proliferate.

In this regard, the giant Asian nation has moved in the opposite direction to the United States, which now refers to its “Department of Defense” as the “Department of War”, and which bombed seven countries last year.

So what is on the list in dispute? Beijing’s export control list contains more than 1,000 items including medium and heavy rare earth minerals. There are used in drones, aircraft, and missiles.
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‘PEACEFUL USE IS FINE’

“China is committed to maintaining the stability and security of the global industrial and supply chains, and civilian use will not be affected by the export control,” said a January 9 Xinhua report quoting He Yadong, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce.

“Relevant parties that conduct normal civilian trade with China should have no worries.”

In other words, China is very clearly urging the Japanese to return to the positive relationship they have long had: Let’s engage in trade, rather than war.

But with the stranglehold that the western powers have on international mainstream media, none of this is likely to be reported.