Japanese MP says Japan could become Chinese province
Pastor Dale Morgan
Japanese MP says Japan could become Chinese province*
Justin McCurry in Tokyo and Jonathan Watts in Beijing
Tuesday February 27, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
The Chinese foreign minister, Li Zhaoxing (r), is welcomed by his
Japanese counterpart, Taro Aso, at talks in Tokyo last month
Happier times: The Chinese foreign minister, Li Zhaoxing (r), is
welcomed by his Japanese counterpart, Taro Aso, at talks in Tokyo last
month. Photograph: Kazuhiro Nogi/AP
A senior official in Japan's ruling party has warned that his country
could become "just another Chinese province" within the next 20 years if
Beijing's military development continues at its current rapid rate.
In a speech in Nagoya, Shoichi Nakagawa, the chairman of the Liberal
Democratic party's policy research council, claimed Beijing was "seeking
hegemony" in Taiwan and beyond, local media reported.
"If something goes wrong in Taiwan in the next 15 years we [Japan] might
also become just another Chinese province within 20 years or so," he was
quoted as saying by the Kyodo news agency.
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He later told reporters in Tokyo: "If Taiwan is placed under its
complete influence, Japan could be next. That's how much China is
seeking hegemony."
Mr Nakagawa's comment received a frosty response in Beijing, where the
government has long played down fears that China's rapid rise poses a
threat to other nations.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said: "China has long
borders on land and sea, so it is very natural to maintain a certain
amount of defence power, completely for the purpose of maintaining the
country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. It gives no cause for
criticism."
The US and Japan have raised questions about the military build-up of
the world's most populous nation. In recent years China's declared
defence budget has increased at double digit pace, exceeding even the
spectacular growth of the economy. Last year, Beijing's reported 2006
budget was $35bn, compared to $42bn for Japan.
According to western analysts, however, the real figure is considerably
higher because the People's Liberation Army, which numbers 2.3 million
personnel, conceals much of its spending.
Mr Nakagawa's comments are likely to worsen the relationship between
Asia's two biggest powers, which had recently shown signs of a slight
thaw after years of tension.
Mr Qin raised suspicions about the timing and nature of the outburst.
"China's military expenditure per capita is 7% of that of Japan," he
said. "Meanwhile, it claims that China is a threat. We should question:
What is the real purpose and motivation behind these claims?"
It is the second time in less than a week that the Chinese foreign
ministry has had to rebut accusations about Beijing's intentions.
Last week, the US vice president, Dick Cheney, said China's increase in
military spending and its recent test firing of an anti-satellite
missile were inconsistent with its claim of being a peacefully rising
power. Mr Qin repeated China's stance that it advocates the peaceful use
of space and opposes arms races there.
But Mr Nakagawa said the launch of the anti-satellite missile was a
deliberate challenge to Japan, which successfully launched a spy
satellite at the weekend. "China showed that it could destroy a
satellite if it launches from the ground, just like that," he said. "It
wouldn't be strange to think that it was an experiment conducted with
Japan's satellite launch in sight."
His comments come at a crucial time for Sino-Japanese relations. After
years of tension under Japan's previous leader, Junichiro Koizumi,
relations between the two appeared to have thawed when his successor,
Shinzo Abe, visited Beijing last October. The Chinese premier, Wen
Jiabao, is due to visit Japan in April in what would be the first visit
by a Chinese leader since 2000.
Mr Nakagawa is not the first Japanese official to voice concern over
China's military build-up, but his dramatic scenario was met with
consternation in Tokyo.
"We are rather more confident than he is about China," a government
official told the Guardian on condition of anonymity. "Japan will never
be part of China. While China is not a strategic partner, it is true
that we share increasingly common strategic interests such as economic
development, environmental concerns and maintaining peace and stability
in the region."
Mr Abe, who appointed Mr Nakagawa when he took office last autumn, said
it was "meaningless to dwell on just a few words taken out from a full
speech". In the past it was often said that Japan might become the 51st
state of the United States, he told reporters.
But, he added, China had yet to explain the intention behind its missile
test. "We have been asking China to provide an explanation that is
acceptable to the international community."
Mr Nakagawa, a famously loquacious, staunchly nationalist MP, shares Mr
Abe's tough line against North Korea. He was one of several Liberal
Democratic politicians who called on Japan to debate the merits of
developing a nuclear arsenal after Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test
last October.