As U.S. envoy to Japan, Rahm Emanuel puts China in cross-hairs
By Jadenne Radoc Cabahug, contributing writer
Rahm Emanuel, the fiery U.S. ambassador to Japan, has continued to lambaste China, criticizing it over its economic and security policies in the region while heaping praise on Tokyo’s new muscular approach to defense.
“China is not practicing being a good neighbor, no matter what they lip-sync. Their actions do not reflect their words. And everybody in the neighborhood is onto it now,” Emanuel told the Freakonomics podcast on Thursday.
The famously “undiplomatic” diplomat has taken an increasingly assertive stance against China, alleging that Beijing has become an economic bully toward its neighbors. The former Chicago mayor said his approach is a way to defend both the U.S. and Japan, which he called Washington’s “No. 1 ally.”
China has said that it has high hopes for a meeting between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a Southeast Asia summit in Indonesia next month, but has warned Tokyo to steer clear of what it says is a U.S.-led “new Cold War.”
Beijing continues to push buttons within the region, with China Coast Guard ships deploying water cannons against Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea earlier this month and the country’s powerful military intensifying pressure on self-ruled Taiwan.
“As President Xi (Jinping) said, there’s choppy waters. Well, they’re chopping them,” Emanuel said, referring to warnings by Xi of both external and internal threats to the ruling Communist Party’s grip on power.
On the flip side, Emanuel praised Japan for its recent decision to increase defense spending from 1% to 2% of gross domestic product within five years, while also allowing the introduction of so-called “counterstrike capabilities” and giving nonlethal assistance in international emergencies such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Emanuel said he was told these things couldn’t happen before he arrived 18 months ago.
Still, the U.S. ambassador insisted that while Washington had a significant role in convincing Tokyo to move forward with the decisions, Japan made the moves on its own.
Emanuel also noted that Friday’s trilateral meeting in Washington between Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol would be held much to China’s chagrin.
“It will be the first time ever, aside from a G7 meeting or NATO meeting, where the three of them will meet for the purpose of meeting, that’s what will be historic,” he said. “China’s always assumed that could never happen.”
Emanuel, who also served as a senior adviser in Bill Clinton's White House and as chief of staff in the Barack Obama administration, also revealed that he had thought about pushing for the China ambassadorial post after Biden asked him to be Japan envoy, though he ultimately decided he was better suited for his current position.
“I think working with an ally is a lot better and I can be more impactful than working with a competitor/adversary,” Emanuel said.
“China is not practicing being a good neighbor, no matter what they lip-sync. Their actions do not reflect their words. And everybody in the neighborhood is onto it now,” Emanuel told the Freakonomics podcast on Thursday.
The famously “undiplomatic” diplomat has taken an increasingly assertive stance against China, alleging that Beijing has become an economic bully toward its neighbors. The former Chicago mayor said his approach is a way to defend both the U.S. and Japan, which he called Washington’s “No. 1 ally.”
China has said that it has high hopes for a meeting between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a Southeast Asia summit in Indonesia next month, but has warned Tokyo to steer clear of what it says is a U.S.-led “new Cold War.”
Beijing continues to push buttons within the region, with China Coast Guard ships deploying water cannons against Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea earlier this month and the country’s powerful military intensifying pressure on self-ruled Taiwan.
“As President Xi (Jinping) said, there’s choppy waters. Well, they’re chopping them,” Emanuel said, referring to warnings by Xi of both external and internal threats to the ruling Communist Party’s grip on power.
On the flip side, Emanuel praised Japan for its recent decision to increase defense spending from 1% to 2% of gross domestic product within five years, while also allowing the introduction of so-called “counterstrike capabilities” and giving nonlethal assistance in international emergencies such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Emanuel said he was told these things couldn’t happen before he arrived 18 months ago.
Still, the U.S. ambassador insisted that while Washington had a significant role in convincing Tokyo to move forward with the decisions, Japan made the moves on its own.
Emanuel also noted that Friday’s trilateral meeting in Washington between Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol would be held much to China’s chagrin.
“It will be the first time ever, aside from a G7 meeting or NATO meeting, where the three of them will meet for the purpose of meeting, that’s what will be historic,” he said. “China’s always assumed that could never happen.”
Emanuel, who also served as a senior adviser in Bill Clinton's White House and as chief of staff in the Barack Obama administration, also revealed that he had thought about pushing for the China ambassadorial post after Biden asked him to be Japan envoy, though he ultimately decided he was better suited for his current position.
“I think working with an ally is a lot better and I can be more impactful than working with a competitor/adversary,” Emanuel said.