介绍:
ZCG: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has outlined his government’s priorities for 2016 during his first news conference of the year.
BK: First of all, what were your overall impressions of the New Year’s press conference? What stood out to you the most?
Dr. Teng Jianqun: I think this was a key speech delivered by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and he, of course, highlighted his efforts in domestic affairs and international affairs. To some extent it was a conclusion of his work done in the past few years, and also a clue to the coming year, the year of 2016.
TY: Abe is talking about wanting Japan to be a so-called normal country, and he also advocates Japan’s initiation of some institutions that could involve big powers, like Russia or the United States. But what we’ve seen over the past year is, it looks like he’s following in China’s footsteps, or imitating China at every step: following Chinese leaders to countries like India and Mongolia, trying to draw Russia closer. What is your evaluation of his attempt to make Japan a so-called ‘normal country’? Is that achievable?
Dr. Teng Jianqun: It’s not easy for Japan to become a ‘normal country’ while facing the current situation, for example the military deployment of the United States in Japan, thousands of US troops staying in the territory of Japan. This is the main obstacle. And the second, I think, is Japan is going to really have a good relation with its neighboring countries, for example China. Shinzo Abe paid a lot of visits to the neighboring country of China, but they are the two largest economies in the Asia-Pacific region. How can Japan show its respect to the history and to the territorial disputes? This is another challenge for Japan to become a ‘normal’ state. Without such respect to the history, or to the territorial dispute, I don’t think Japan will be accepted by the international community as a normal state.
BK: One of the issues that Abe mentioned at the press conference was Japan’s hosting of the G7 meeting this year, and some of the issues said to be on the agenda include the so-called Islamic State and global terrorism, as well as the global economy, among others. So what are Abe and his government’s biggest goals for the meeting?
Dr. Teng Jianqun: Of course, the G7 conference this year will be a most important occasion for Japan to show its contribution to peace and stability, and even to environmental protection. This is a good occasion for Shinzo Abe to show his efforts and to show his contributions, but I think sometimes it’s not only a meeting for the sake of a meeting. We should have the fruits and results of any important meeting. If the G7 countries can make some fruitful results this time, I’m sure the international community will welcome such a conference, but if Shinzo Abe prefers to only have such a meeting for the sake of a meeting, to show his capability to organize such a meeting, I don’t think the Japanese and other countries will give a very positive response to this meeting.
TY: Abe also said he wants a trilateral China-Japan-South Korea summit to take place after the success of last November’s summit. What do you think we may look forward to for the next one?
Dr. Teng Jianqun: As we all know, the trilateral meeting among the three Northeast Asian countries has been a very important forum, starting from 1999 and then suspendedafter the dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands and other issues. So I think last November’s resumption actually just showed the good starting point for the three countries to continue the momentum to talk about the cooperation: in economy, in security and in other challenging issues we are facing today. But as we have witnessed in recent developments, without any compromise form China from Japan from South Korea, I don’t think such a resumption will give any important achievements for the region and for the countries concerned.
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