A few days ago, the news that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in a speech on the street was like dropping a depth bomb on Asian politics.
These people took advantage of Abe's funeral to put on a political show, and US Secretary of State and South Korean Prime Minister Han Deok-so hopes to use this to promote relations with Japan and promote diplomacy with Japan. As a Western ally, the manipulation of Blinken and others is indeed expected, but some people on the island of Taiwan also "can't stand loneliness" and have made unbelievable moves.
On the 12th local time, Taiwan deputy leader Lai Qingde went to Japan to attend Abe's funeral, and public opinion was in an uproar. Although he claimed to have left for personal relations, he still had a bad impact on cross-strait relations. Some experts have analyzed that Lai Qingde's visit to Japan is not only promoted by the Tsai Ing-wen authorities, but more notably, he can quickly get a visa to enter Japan, and it is indispensable for Japan and the United States to push behind the scenes.
This move is not only a continuation of Abe's so-called "Taiwan is a matter, Japan is a problem", but also the beginning of a reshuffle of factions within the Liberal Democratic Party. In other words, after Abe's death, the LDP faction will change greatly, but it will not be reflected immediately, because the undercurrents under the water are quietly surging.
Although the United States can use strategic ambiguity as a shield and direct Japan and Taiwan to contain the mainland behind the scenes, with Abe's departure, the Expression of the United States will not be so smooth. In the past, many of the strong ideas of the United States could be expressed through Abe, while Kishida could maintain relative detachment and avoid embarrassment to the Japanese government. Today, the Japanese government's China policy is less buffered by Abe and may become more intense. Sure enough, experts' concerns quickly became a reality.
On the evening of 12 July, Hsieh Chang-ting, the "representative of the Taiwan authorities in Japan," announced on social media that 7 Japanese parliamentarians would organize a delegation to "visit Taiwan" at the end of this month.
In fact, whether Lai Qingde goes to Japan or Japanese parliamentarians visit Taiwan, the Chinese side will not allow it. Regarding Lai Qingde's behavior, the Chinese side has lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side. In response to the previous move of some parliamentarians to visit the Taiwan region, the Chinese side has also made a statement long ago.
Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, has made it clear that he resolutely opposes any form of official exchanges between countries with which China has established diplomatic relations with the Taiwan region of Taiwan under any pretext. The DPP authorities are vainly trying to collude with external forces to seek "independence," and no matter what tricks they play or tricks they play, they will not succeed.
Recently, as the United States has intensified its efforts to manipulate the Taiwan issue, the attitude of politicians on the island has undergone certain changes. Naturally, the DPP authorities continue to align themselves with the United States and blackmail the United States for independence, and the changes in the blue camp are also incomprehensible.
The intention of the United States is obvious, that is, to let Japan cooperate with its performance, and the United States and Japan jointly set off a storm in the Asia-Pacific region, and it needs the cooperation of the Taiwan region to form a group to contain the Chinese side.
After Abe's death, these forces are likely to increase their pressure, and their actions may also intensify. In the just-concluded elections, Japan's constitutional revision forces have already won two-thirds of the seats. This is a dangerous signal that Japan is not far from becoming a "normal country" or "self-defense forces becoming an army," and this deserves the vigilance of all countries around the world.