New Core Interest

In the process of growth, a man is going to be interested in various things. In the process of expansion, China is going to include many things as its “core interests.” The government of China, for the first time, officially announced that Senkaku Islands are one of its core interests. It is up to them how to call it. But, unilateral attitude in calling a land to be mine is causing a conflict. There is a reason why the world needs to take action against that provocation.

“The Diaoyu Islands are about sovereignty and territorial integrity. Of course, it’s China’s core interest,” told Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for Chinese Foreign Ministry. “Core interests” is the expression used for Taiwan, Tibet, and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, each of which have dispute over sovereignty with China. The announcement meant China’s declaration that it would never give in any argument that denies Chinese sovereignty over Senakus.

It is likely that China has closely been watching the political situation in Japan. After the purchase of Senkakus, the DPJ administration led by Yoshihiko Noda was collapsed. Now, Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, does not take effective action against China, focusing on his own conservative agenda such as constitutional amendment of Article 96 or visiting Yasukuni Shirine. His right-wing standpoint invited disputes inside Japan, dividing the people between the right and the left. As a consequence of his weakness in persuading the world that Senkakus are Japan’s territory according to international law and justice, the standpoint of Japan is getting weak in the world. In the United States, A lot of newspaper is skeptical about Abe’s excessive leaning on the right.

However, there still is a reason why the world, especially the United States, needs to support Japan. Watch the tendency of China expanding its core interest. The reason why China included Senkakus in their core interest was because they saw they could win it. If the situation allows, the Chinese are going to step up to take Okinawa. What’s next? May be the sea inside the first island chain, may be Guam, may be Hawaii, or whatever. The Chinese traditionally think that China is the center of the world, and the world should be controlled by China. They have every reason for themselves to take everything in the world.

It would be the time for US to say that it also has its own core interests. They may include the situation of human rights in China, manipulatively devalued Renminbi, or Chinese responsibility for stopping North Korea’s intimidation with development of missiles and nuclear weapons. It is important for the world to let the Chinese know that the world is not a place where one nation can unilaterally seek its own “core interests.”