A third reason relates to a shocking and tragic incident that occurred the week before the announcement, in which a Chinese man killed a Japanese schoolboy in Shenzhen.
This followed a series of other events which have received significant and sustained criticism in the Japanese media, including another stabbing incident and a series of Chinese military provocations.
Beijing denied any connection between the Shenzhen incident and the seafood decision, but amid spiralling Japanese public opinion against China, the removal gesture may be (in part) about stabilising a deteriorating narrative.
In an era of heightened geopolitical rivalry, governments are proving more reluctant than ever to give up leverage for nothing, even when that leverage is founded upon economically distorting actions that undermine the global trading system. If that is the case here, the decision might ultimately reflect Beijing feeling somewhat on the defensive and assessing a need to initiate bilateral relationship repair.
But given Beijing’s announcement was only about beginning the process of removing the ban, rather than an immediate outright removal, this story might not be over yet. At the very least, it shows how economic statecraft involves both wielding sticks and dangling carrots, sometimes at the same time.
Victor Ferguson Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology. Darren Lim is Senior Lecturer at the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University. This commentary first appeared on Lowy Institute’s blog, The Interpreter.
