Cross-cultural communication （84）　

84) Changes in Western Policy towards China
An article in the April 23, 2019 morning edition of the Nikkei translated from The Economist discussed recent changes in Western policy towards China.
As you know, for the past 10 years or so, since ceding the position of second largest economy in the world to China in 2010 for the first time in 42 years, Japan has been locked in a struggle with China as an economic superpower in Asia. There have been cases where Japan has had its Shinkansen technology cleverly stolen by China, and as an extension of this, China has also managed to win the contract for Indonesia's high-speed railway project. In addition, with regard to territorial issues, Japan has continued to be troubled by China's forceful and hard-line approach to the ownership of the Senkaku Islands. On each occasion, Japan has continued to appeal to the world about the illegality of China's approach, but until recently, many developing countries around the world, as well as European countries including Germany and France, did not overtly criticize China's approach, calculating the benefits for their own countries and China's future growth potential.

The Economist article this time tells us that, in particular, European countries have recently begun to question China's various heavy-handed methods. According to the article, until just a few years ago, diplomats would slip in boasts about how friendly their country was with China when discussing China-related issues. However, such boasting seems to have disappeared now. It seems that developing countries are finding themselves unable to pay back the debts they have incurred through Chinese aid, while developed countries are becoming increasingly concerned about the possibility of China using their advanced technology for its own ends.

It is also written that one diplomat has pointed out that a kind of united community is being revived, mainly in Western countries, in response to China's aggressive stance on the One Belt, One Road initiative and its bullish policies for future economic development.

China, Japan's neighbor, is not only competing economically with Japan, but is also continuing to put pressure on Japan by threatening its military might. Until a few years ago, the Western countries, which had tolerated China's heavy-handed methods in the interests of their own countries, have now united and begun to object to these methods, which is not a bad thing for Japan.

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