00:00Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
00:03Escalating tensions between China and Japan
00:05Translated by Ustad Asad Mansour
00:08Historically, the Japanese were influenced by Chinese culture, philosophy and religion
00:18and their relations were largely confined to China due to its proximity and China's advanced status.
00:26However, witnessing China's defeat at the hands of the West and its fall in the Opium Wars
00:31waged by the British led them to turn westward.
00:35Beginning in the mid-19th century, they established trade relations with the West,
00:39admiring its scientific and industrial progress and seeking to emulate it.
00:44They sent students to acquire the secrets of industry and science.
00:47They even joined the international community founded by European nations on Western Christian principles.
00:53Japan developed a set of concepts about the universe, humanity and life
00:58leading to the Industrial Revolution and becoming a major power.
01:02It fought a war with China for influence over Korea between 1894 and 1895
01:07which China lost, forcing it to pay war reparations to Japan.
01:12From 1931 onward, Japan began attacking and occupying Chinese territory.
01:17However, after the United States launched atomic bombings at the end of World War II, Japan surrendered
01:24thus ending its occupation of China.
01:28Japan became aligned with America adopting a capitalist system and focusing on its economy
01:33to become a superpower.
01:35Meanwhile, China, having established a communist state that propelled it forward,
01:39began to concentrate on building its military strength to protect itself and to promote its ideology
01:43regionally, promote its ideology regionally.
01:48It began to threaten countries in the region, particularly in the East China Sea where Japan is located
01:54and the South China Sea where numerous other countries are situated.
01:58This led to its involvement in the Korean, Vietnam, Luachian and Cambodian wars against America and the West.
02:06However, when China abandoned communism in foreign policy and economics after Mao's death in 1978,
02:13it began to focus on the economy and entered into agreements with the United States
02:23which granted it trade priority in an effort to encourage it to completely abandon communism
02:28and in the hope that it would become a Western power like Japan.
02:32Consequently, its relation with Western countries and with Japan improved
02:36and the volume of trade between them increased to hundreds of billions of dollars.
02:40However, deep disagreements persist between them, particularly concerning Taiwan and Senkaku Islands
02:46which are controlled by Japan and fall under the jurisdiction of Akinawa Prefecture
02:50where U.S. forces are stationed.
02:54China claims the islands calling them Diaoyu while Taiwan also claims them having historically been part of Taiwan.
03:05Japan has granted Taiwan fishing rights in its waters.
03:08Other points of contention include the issue of an apology for Japanese atrocities committed
03:12during the occupation of China and the issue of U.S.-Japanese security cooperation aimed at China.
03:18A radical shift in Japanese policy occurred at the end of 2022
03:22with the announcement of a constitutional amendment concerning defence policy.
03:28Japan adopted a new defence strategy focused on building a truly capable military
03:32equipped with advanced weaponry not only for defence but also for offence.
03:37This change alarmed China which perceived it as directly against it and encouraged by the United States.
03:45It is noteworthy that Japan's policy towards China shifted
03:49with the election of Senai Takaichi as Prime Minister on October 21st, 2025.
03:57On November 7th, 2025, she stated that
04:00Any Chinese attack on Taiwan would be viewed as a threat to Japan
04:05and could lead to military response from Tokyo.
04:07It should be noted that Japan occupied Taiwan during the first Japanese war
04:13until the end of World War II when it was ceded to China
04:17at the request of the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union.
04:21China's reaction came in two forms.
04:23On November 14th, 2025, defence ministry spokesperson Jian stated
04:29On November 20th, 2025, China declared that
04:44Prime Minister Takaichi's open, erroneous remarks concerning Taiwan
05:02have fundamentally undermined the political foundation of China-Japan relations
05:06and severely damaged bilateral economic and trade exchanges.
05:12Should the Japanese side persist on its course of action
05:15and continue down the wrong path,
05:17China will resolutely take the measures required
05:20and all consequences shall be borne by Japan.
05:24Unquote.
05:25These measures may include halting exports of rare earth minerals to Japan
05:30as happened when they were halted for seven weeks in 2010
05:34when Japan detained a Chinese fisherman who collided with coast guard vessels
05:38near the Senkaku Islands.
05:41They may also reduce the number of Chinese tourists to Japan
05:44as happened in 2012 when they began to urge Chinese people not to travel to Japan.
05:50They may also stop important Japanese seafood as happened in 2023
05:54when Japan decided to release radioactive water from the Fukushima plant
05:59into the Pacific Ocean and so on
06:01which would cause Japan significant economic damage
06:04until it reverses its position.
06:06It appears that Japan was encouraged by the United States to adopt this stance.
06:11On October 28th, 2025, President Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister
06:17and in a joint statement they affirmed that
06:19quote, the two leaders instructed relevant ministers and secretaries
06:24to take further steps for a new golden age of the ever-growing US-Japan alliance.
06:30Unquote.
06:31They also signed a framework agreement to secure supplies of rare earth elements,
06:36REEs, following China's reduction of its exports of these elements to both countries.
06:42The agreement included provisions for Japan to purchase American liquid-filled natural gas.
06:47Both countries sought to pressure China
06:51and prevent it from taking any steps towards annexing Taiwan.
06:55The United States also aimed to utilise Japan in its campaign against China.
07:01Therefore, relations between China and Japan are likely to become more strained,
07:06especially since the Japanese Prime Minister has so far refused to retract her statements
07:11regarding Japan's readiness to intervene military to protect Taiwan, despite Chinese threats.
07:18Furthermore, the United States has declared its support for Japan
07:21and is working to aim and is working to arm Taiwan
07:25as evidenced by its announcement on November 14th, 2025
07:29of a $330 million sale of military equipment to Taiwan.
07:35China, through its foreign ministry, strongly opposed the deal,
07:38deeming it a, quote-unquote, serious violation of the one-China principle
07:43and asserting that, quote,
07:45the Taiwan issue is at the core of China's fundamental interests
07:49and constitutes an absolute red line in Sino-American relations, unquote.
07:55This appears to be a deliberate policy adopted by Japan against China,
07:59encouraged by the United States,
08:01which is working to encircle China with adversaries, among other actions.
08:05If this crisis is not resolved and the Japanese Prime Minister does not retract her threats
08:10against China, it will have serious repercussions for the trade relations
08:13between the two countries and for the global economy as a whole,
08:17given that they are the second and third largest economies in the world.
08:21Furthermore, it will likely spur Japan's military activity,
08:26as China will be perceived as a threatening enemy
08:28justifying increased military spending and modernization.
08:31What concerns us here as Muslims is to understand the relations between countries
08:36and what some of them plot against each other
08:38so that we can take the correct stance according to the rulings of Sharia
08:41and employ that for the benefit of Islam
08:44and the spread of its call through the Khilafah Rashida,
08:47a rightly guided caliphate state that will be established soon, inshallah.
08:51As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.
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