At the bottom of the wave as on the crest, geopolitics knows how to adapt to the undertows of the international ocean. In recent days, China has been surfing on the discharge of water from Fukushima. The operation, which consists of discharging contaminated water from the Japanese nuclear power plant through an underwater tunnel, is due to begin on Thursday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has validated this plan and the concentration of tritium, the only residue that could not be filtered, is 40 times lower than the international standard in this area.
However, Beijing is raising its voice and taking advantage of the tide to advance its pawns. What are his interests? Is China the only one protesting? 20 minutes takes stock for you thanks to the analysis of Valérie Niquet, director of the Asia division of the Foundation for Strategic Research and author of Japan in 100 questions.
How is China reacting?
Tokyo’s announcement made the Chinese authorities cringe, and their reply was quick to come. On Tuesday, the Japanese ambassador to China was summoned. “China is not reacting to an environmental risk, it has other issues in mind”, however immediately warns Valérie Niquet, director of the Asia division of the Foundation for Strategic Research. In July, the Middle Empire decided to ban the import of all foodstuffs from ten Japanese departments, including that of Fukushima. Hong Kong followed suit on Tuesday. In other Japanese departments, Beijing has imposed strict controls.
“China uses any argument to exert pressure. With month-long health checks, Japanese seafood products deteriorate. This is a strategy that Beijing has already used, for example against Norway and its salmon exports”, explains Valérie Niquet who adds: “The weapon of trade is often brandished by China”. By fanning the embers, Beijing hopes to upset its neighbor.
Why is Beijing surfing on this rejection?
“Relations between China and Japan are tense. For a very long time, Japan supported the Chinese economy, invested a lot in China and showed itself rather favorable to a rapprochement with Beijing. But, especially since the arrival of Xi Jinping, Beijing has an increasingly aggressive attitude in the region while Japan tends to get closer and closer to the United States”, deciphers Valérie Niquet. Sino-Japanese relations have therefore gradually deteriorated.
Beijing’s anger has more to do with the increasingly westernized positioning of the neighboring archipelago than with Fukushima’s water. Last week, following a trilateral summit with South Korea and the United States, the country also announced the strengthening of their military cooperation. To the great displeasure of the Middle Empire which takes advantage of the water of Fukushima to punish Tokyo. “By applying pressure, China hopes to bring Japan to adopt a different attitude. Beijing would prefer a much more neutral, much more docile Japan,” says the researcher.
But are the Chinese really the only ones to express their concern?
China is the most vocal in its opposition to the discharge of water from Fukushima. But inside the archipelago, the fishermen are in turmoil. “The real risk does not exist or is negligible, but there is, on the other hand, a reputational risk for Japan”, explains Valérie Niquet. “In Japan, nuclear power has significant symbolic importance. Fish have already been contaminated in the archipelago, even if it was not necessarily because of nuclear power, and the concern remains. If the real risk is minimal, local fishermen are worried about the image that this will give to their goods”, notes Valérie Niquet, adding that negotiations are currently underway with the government, in order to set up compensation. for sea workers.
In South Korea, shortages have brought to light the anxiety of the population. Koreans emptied supermarkets of their table salt, stockpiling kilos at home, panicked at the idea that it was becoming dangerous. Other products have been taken by storm, such as cans of sardines or dried seaweed sheets. “The South Korean president approached Japan and the United States and publicly affirmed that he trusted the IAEA on Fukushima. But the political opposition tends to highlight this problem. It’s a question of the internal political game”, deciphers the researcher. Especially since “China and South Korea have nuclear power plants by the sea which discharge contaminated water in much larger proportions than Fukushima will do”, she says. Something to remember the adage of the straw and the beam.