China steps up efforts to improve relations with neighboring countries

According to the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun on December 29th, the Chinese government is intensifying efforts to improve relations with neighboring countries. Due to Trump's announcement that he will increase tariffs and adopt a clearly hardline attitude towards China, China hopes to increase the number of countries that can cooperate in the economic and trade fields.

According to reports, among China's measures to improve its foreign relations, the most notable is the change in foreign policy towards US allies such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and India. According to relevant sources, 'China has prepared a meticulous diplomatic strategy'.

The first target for improving relations is Australia. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce recently announced the lifting of import restrictions on Australian lobsters that have been in effect since 2020.

In October, Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi. Since the border conflict in 2020, the relationship between the two countries has been deadlocked. But the meeting between the special representatives of the two countries on the border issue was recently restarted, and Sino Indian relations began to thaw.

In November, China announced a unilateral visa free policy for its allies Japan and South Korea.

According to reports, some analysts believe that repairing relations with US allies can also help reduce the risk of conflict with the Trump administration regarding this series of measures.

The report states that China also hopes to avoid the risk of economic exchanges being interrupted due to the deterioration of bilateral relations. During the campaign, Trump advocated for a 60% tariff on imported goods from China. However, if the United States implements a tough trade policy towards China, it will have a significant impact not only on China but also on its partner countries.

The report states that China believes there is room for cooperation with the aforementioned countries that benefit from the free trade system. On the 25th, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Foreign Minister, proposed to the Japanese side to "jointly maintain the stability of the global supply chain and a fair and open trade and investment environment" during talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya.

On December 29th, the Sing Tao Daily in Hong Kong published an editorial titled "Countering Trump 2.0 and Bringing China Together with Japan and South Korea", pointing out that Trump, who is about to become the President of the United States again, has shown an intention to plunder the world to strengthen the United States, accelerating the restructuring of global diplomacy. Japan clearly demonstrated a new strategy to improve Sino Japanese relations last week, and South Korea may also promote cooperation between China and South Korea in the future to resist Trump. The improvement of China Japan South Korea relations will also promote the strengthening of economic and trade cooperation between Southeast Asia and China.

The editorial stated that Japanese Foreign Minister Tsuyoshi Iwaya's recent visit to China highlights Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's new strategy to improve Sino Japanese relations.

The editorial stated that Tsuyoshi Iwaya has demonstrated two new positions towards China. Firstly, China is a neighbor that Japan cannot move away from, and Japan will strive to balance the relationship between Japan, the United States, and Japan China. In recent years, Japan has closely followed current US President Biden and formed the US Japan Korea alliance to suppress China and counterbalance China, Russia, and North Korea. Now, it has shifted from fully assisting the US in containing China to seeking balance between China and the US. Even if it still leans towards the US, it is believed that its hostile attitude towards China will greatly decrease.

The editorial stated that Shigeru Ishiba is focusing on improving relations with China, as his Liberal Democratic Party suffered a major defeat in the October House of Representatives elections and became a minority government. He urgently needs to revitalize the economy to increase his popularity. However, Trump 2.0 will wield the tariff stick globally, and Japan, which ranks fifth in the US foreign trade deficit, is bound to be targeted by Trump.

After Trump's election, Shigeru Ishiba attempted to promote the relationship between the two, but unfortunately the congratulatory phone call was only 5 minutes long. He proposed that the two meet before Trump takes office, but was rejected, indicating Trump's cold attitude towards Japan. Therefore, Shigeru Ishiba needs to find another pillar for the Japanese economy, and China is undoubtedly the best choice.

The editorial stated that for China, the improvement of Sino Japanese relations is beneficial for boosting China's economy and easing the joint economic, trade, and military suppression of China by the United States and Japan. Therefore, it also actively responds to Japan.

The editorial pointed out that the improvement of Sino Japanese relations has also stimulated South Korea to promote Sino Korean relations. Moreover, during his campaign, Trump explicitly stated that South Korea is a cash cow, demanding that South Korea bear an annual military expenditure of $10 billion for the US military stationed in South Korea, which is nearly 10 times the current amount. Therefore, whoever becomes the president of South Korea in the future may improve relations with China to avoid facing a pincer attack from China and the United States.

The editorial believes that strengthening cooperation between China, Japan, and South Korea will also stimulate Southeast Asia to strengthen cooperation with China, share the fruits of expanding economic and trade cooperation between China, Japan, and South Korea, and offset the heavy pressure of Trump's possible increase in tariffs on Southeast Asian countries. For example, Vietnam, as the third largest foreign trade deficit country in the United States, will bear the brunt. Recently, Vietnam announced the construction of a new railway connecting China and emphasized the need to ensure that the design is synchronized with China.