Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been energetic of late, stirring up South China Sea issues during the ASEAN Summit and the just-concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings. It seems he is seizing every chance of the bilateral meeting. The Sankei Shimbun on Sunday published an article espousing the view that Japan and the US are trying to draw ASEAN members over to their side to "encircle China."

Japan is becoming increasingly bold in disturbing the issues over the South China Sea. It is considered that by doing so, Tokyo is trying to reduce its pressure in the East China Sea. This is a trick of Japanese diplomacy and an unsurprising tactic. However, as a country outside the region, Japan lacks both the legitimacy and the measures to poke its nose into the South China Sea, and has therefore turned itself into Washington's mouthpiece. No one in the area would treat it as a trustworthy role.

As for Tokyo's imaginary "encirclement," the possibility is even smaller than that of the US-Japanese alliance's collapse.

More than half of ASEAN members have no territorial or sea disputes with China, what are the benefits for them if they forge an "encirclement" against China? Are some extreme Japanese people crazy about containing China, and believe that once they make a call to arms, the whole of ASEAN will follow?

India and some heads of states of ASEAN members made a few conventional remarks out of politeness with Abe, yet Japan has taken this seriously, believing that a trend of establishing a coalition against China's island reclamation in the South China Sea is inevitable.

As a matter of fact, China's land reclamation work is proceeding smoothly, and only a handful of countries have raised objections, formally or informally. None of the international meetings that involved ASEAN members have voiced any opinions over the issue, and the topic is even not on the official agenda of these meetings. This is the big picture.

Moreover, Vietnam's attitude now is not as intense as the Philippines'. If Japan wants to foster another Philippines from within ASEAN, it would be too naïve.

China's construction on the islands is on the basis of respecting the historical facts and international law, and is therefore tenable.

Even when the US warship patrolled in the area, it could do nothing to counter China's moves. This is a game that the US and Japan are bound to lose.

Japan is not the US after all. If its self-defense forces ever come close to Chinese territory in the South China Sea to stir up trouble, it had better watch out.