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| Leaders of China and Japan |
Writer Zhu Dongyang
BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Japan's plan to place the South China Sea at the top of the agenda at the upcoming meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers is a self-deprecating move only to show a regional wave-maker keen on rocking the boat. If unchecked, such a provocation would shift the focus of the meeting from more deserving concerns.
The agenda of the two-day gathering to be held on Sunday in Hiroshima and drafted by Japan is quite lackluster. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will meet with his six counterparts at the iconic Peace Memorial Park to emphasize how his country became the sole victim of the nuclear bombs. But more substantive part is that he has purportedly coordinated to outline a joint communique regarding the sovereignty disputes over the South China Sea, despite the fact that neither Japan nor any G7 member is a relevant party to the disputes.
His attempt may prove futile. The G7's influence in global affairs is already declining, and the Group of 20 (G20) is increasingly relevant. Embracing emerging economies including China, its appeal has been more in line with the common aspirations and consensus of a multipolar world.
But considering its much diminished voice in the G20 and frustrated efforts to become a veto-holding permanent member of the UN Security Council, it's no wonder Tokyo is desperate to promote its stance and concerns within the G7.
Long uncomfortable with China's rising influence in the region, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his administration have never passed up an opportunity to trip up and contain China. Behind their unwonted interests in accusing China of militarizing the South China Sea is Tokyo's real scheme to provoke the West into lashing out at China.
Read the full story at Xinhua