US, China show markedly different reactions to comfort women resolution

Posted on : 2015-12-30 18:36 KST Modified on : 2015-12-30 18:36 KST
The US praises a “final and irreversible” deal aligning with its strategic interests while China laments what it sees as a decision unduly influenced by American pressure

While the US government welcomed the settlement reached by South Korea and Japan over the comfort women issue, emphasizing the fact that it is “final and irreversible,” Chinese state-run media and experts complained that the settlement was influenced by the US drive to counter China.

Susan Rice
Susan Rice

“The United States congratulates the Governments of Japan and the Republic of Korea on reaching an agreement, which they have made clear ‘finally and irreversibly’ addresses the tragic treatment of ”comfort women“ during World War II,” White House National Security Advisor Susan Rice said in a statement released on Dec. 28.

“We look forward to deepening our work with both nations on a wide range of regional and global issues, on the basis of mutual interests and shared values, as well as to advancing trilateral security cooperation,” Rice also said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry also released a statement emphasizing that South Korea and Japan “have made clear that by implementing this agreement they will ‘finally and irreversibly’ resolve this issue.” “We call on the international community to support it,” Kerry said.

There are two noteworthy points in the official statements released by the US government. First is their emphasis on the fact that the settlement is “final and irreversible.” Second is their emphasis on trilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the US, and Japan. These two points are related, and they also coincide exactly with American interests.

The US had often urged South Korea and Japan to set aside their differences over the past and cooperate in the area of security with a view toward the future - all with the goal of countering a resurgent China. In this context, the US does not relish the prospect of the historical issue of the comfort women rearing its head in the future and disrupting the US’s strategic plans. Consequently, the US government’s unusual emphasis on the finality of the settlement seems meant to remind South Korea not to bring up the issue of the comfort women any more, at least on a governmental level.

By dealing with the comfort women issue, which has been an obstacle to security cooperation between South Korea and Japan, the US has at last paved the way for strengthening trilateral security cooperation with South Korea, which has been its goal all along.

 White House National Security Advisor
White House National Security Advisor

The crux of the rebalance to Asia - the East Asia policy implemented by the administration of US President Barack Obama - has been, in the short term, providing a military deterrent to North Korea and, in the long term, responding to China’s growing military might. As a consequence, it is obvious that the US will accelerate its efforts to integrate its military assets with those of South Korea and Japan.

During a teleconference with the media on Tuesday, a high-ranking official with the US Department of State consciously played up the significance of the agreement. “This agreement has cleared away a major political obstacle that has blocked complete and expanded cooperation,” the official said. “This agreement is as strategically important as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).”

“This is an important milestone that eliminates ambiguity in the attitude of Japan and the position of Prime Minister Abe about apologies and responsibility for the comfort women issue,” the official said, revealing a considerable difference in opinion from South Korean civic groups, who have pointed out that the agreement does not specify “legal responsibility.”

In contrast, China’s annoyance with the agreement was evident. “It is regrettable that the settlement was less the result of voluntary contrition on the part of Japan than a political decision influenced by pressure from the US,” China’s official Xinhua News Agency opined.

The Global Times, the English-language Chinese daily under the auspices of the People’s Daily, said in an editorial, “The comfort women deal doesn’t mean the South Korean society has endorsed the attitude of the Japanese government over history, and it in no way impairs the legitimacy of China’s demand for Japan to introspect on the history of aggression.”

On Monday, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that it will continue to urge Japan to show remorse for its past, regardless of the breakthrough in negotiations between South Korea and Japan about the comfort women. “The position of China continues to be that Japan ought to squarely face its history of aggression and to take appropriate and responsible action to deal with the related issues,” the Ministry said.

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent, and Seong Yeon-cheol, Beijing correspondent

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