Instant international
Written by: Ou Jingluo
2019-11-27 19:00
Last updated: 2019-11-27 19:57With the end of the Hong Kong district parliamentary elections, Japan is concerned about the potential for greater conflict in the future. Japanese media quoted government sources as saying that the Hong Kong issue may affect Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Japan in 2020.
Abe met with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the 25th. Abe emphasized the importance of a free and open Hong Kong to promote prosperity under one country, two systems. (Getty Images)
The Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Takayoshi Wei said on November 26 that the government would take advantage of Xi Jinping's visit to Japan to reiterate Japan's concerns about the situation in Hong Kong. When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the 25th, he also stated that under a country with two systems, a free and open Hong Kong is important for promoting prosperity.
However, the Japan Current Affairs Agency reported that after the election of the Hong Kong District Council and the victory of the Democrats, the Chinese authorities did not appear to have changed their minds. Worries that the election results will cause the Chinese government to take tougher measures against Hong Kong's opposition voices and further destabilize the situation in Hong Kong.
The report quoted government sources as saying that the Japanese government actually did not want to touch on the situation in Hong Kong in order to avoid contradicting China's "opposition of foreign interference in China's internal affairs" principle. However, as the situation in Hong Kong escalates, Japan is facing pressure from domestic and foreign public opinion. Both inside and outside the Liberal Democratic Party have voiced whether Xi Jinping's visit to Japan should be reconsidered.
The report also quoted officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who pointed out that although Japan ’s face to face in developing relations with China has remained unchanged, as the situation in Hong Kong has further deteriorated, concerns have been expressed over whether to arrange Xi Jinping's visit to Japan.
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