Why Beijing has struggled to rally Asia against Japan over PMs Taiwan remarks
China and Japan’s long-standing rivalry has deep historic roots, and relations between the two have taken a significant turn for the worse in recent months. This, the second in a three-part series, looks at whether Beijing overplayed its hand on the Taiwan issue in the face of what is a ‘strategic reality’ for Japan and…
As for Japan, it has doubled down on bolstering its alignment with “like-minded” countries amid an absence of significant diplomatic backing from the United States, its most important ally.
Notably, Beijing has struggled to galvanise opposition to Tokyo.
Many countries in the region have been reluctant to side with Beijing, partly because they harbour security concerns similar to Japan’s and prefer to stay neutral, making it difficult for China to pressure Takaichi into fully retracting her remarks, according to analysts.
