Chinese Diplomatic Achievement on Senkaku

It should be unusual that the leaders of two super powers talk about small rocks on western Pacific Ocean. US President, Barack Obama, and Chinese President, Xi Jinping, exchanged their opinions over Senkaku Islands at the meeting in California, on which China had been appealing its sovereignty, while Japan had been denying the existence of dispute itself. In terms of that Obama did not directly dispute against Xi’s viewpoint, China gained a point in argument against Japan.

At the summit meeting, China fully appealed its standpoint on the Senkaku issue. “We hope related countries to stop intimidation in responsible manner and go back to the orbit for solving the problem appropriately through dialogues,” told Xi to Obama, according to Yang Jiechi, a State Councilor and the Foreign Minister. Xi also showed his intention to protect national sovereignty and territory and his willingness to deal this issue with dialogue. Yang explained the achievement of the talk as reconfirmation of respect on core interest or significant concerns of both.

US National Security Adviser, Tom Donilon, revealed that Obama asked Xi not to escalate the opposition between Japan and China over Senkaku at the summit meeting, and to solve the problem with diplomatic measures. Basic standpoint of US that it would not be involved in the argument over sovereignty had not changed at the meeting, which would be a meaningful achievement for China.

The overall strategy of China was to share hegemony in the Pacific Ocean by two superpowers. By presenting that grand design, China supposedly tried to trivialize Senkaku issue, or the existence of Japan in the Pacific. Meanwhile, it was crucial for US to make some deal with China to assure US presence in Asia-Pacific region. China was successful to contain Senkaku issue into that context. It may be likely that US urges Japan to accept a settlement of this issue leaning on Chinese position.

Japan still believes in Japan-US alliance, even how US wants Japan to solve it through dialogue between Japan and China. “Japan and US have alliance. It is critical difference from US-China relationship,” optimistically told Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, in a TV interview on Sunday. This leader did not understand the logic of diplomacy between superpowers, in which each player has indispensable stakes in the counterpart.

Abe is requesting another summit meeting with Obama taking advantage of G8 summit meeting in UK later this month. It is not beneficial for Obama to meet a Japanese leader who has negative reputation on his recognition of post-war history. It is only Japan who takes the alliance for granted.