BBC News Top Stories-Business Fukushima US buys Japan seafood to counter China ban
October 31, 2023 3 min 462 words
这则报道涉及美国购买日本海鲜以应对中国的进口禁令，原因是福岛核电站处理水排放后，中国对日本海鲜实施了进口禁令。这一做法反映了国际贸易和地缘政治之间的复杂关系。 首先，美国决定购买日本海鲜，表明了美国对其亚太盟友的支持。这不仅有助于维护美日关系，还加强了日本的地缘政治地位。 其次，中国的禁令引发了关于福岛水安全性的争议。虽然日本和国际监管机构认为水是安全的，但中国却坚持拒绝进口。这突显了国际贸易中的科学与政治之争，以及信息战和舆论的重要性。 最后，这一情况也凸显了美中之间的紧张关系。美国对中国的经济政策和对外企业的待遇表示不满，这是美国外交政策的一部分。这一举措可能会加剧美中之间的紧张关系。 总的来说，这一报道反映了国际贸易和地缘政治之间的错综复杂关系，以及不同国家在维护自身利益和立场方面所采取的行动。
The US military in Japan has started to bulk buy the country's seafood in response to a Chinese import ban after the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
The US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said Washington may also look into other ways to help counter China's ban.
He described it as part of Beijing's "economic wars".
China, which was the biggest buyer of Japanese seafood, said it barred imports due to safety fears.
Last year Japan exported more than 100,000 tons of scallops to China. The first purchase under the US scheme is a fraction of that - just under a metric ton of the shellfish.
Mr Emanuel told the Reuters news agency it is the start of long-term contract that will extend over time to all types of seafood.
The purchases will be used to feed military personnel and be sold in shops and restaurants on military bases in Japan.
"It's going to be a long-term contract between the US armed forces and the fisheries and co-ops here," Mr Emanuel said.
"The best way we have proven in all the instances to kind of wear out China's economic coercion is come to the aid and assistance of the targeted country or industry," he added.
The US military had not previously bought Japanese seafood in Japan and Washington may also look at its fish imports from Japan and China, Mr Emmanuel said.
In response to Mr Emanuel's comments, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a news conference on Monday: "the responsibility of diplomats is to promote friendship between countries rather than smearing other countries and stirring up trouble".
In recent months, Mr Emanuel has spoken out about China on various issues including its economic policies and treatment of foreign businesses.
His comments come as several top US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have visited Beijing in an effort to ease tensions between the world's two biggest economies.
More than a million tonnes of treated waste water accumulated at the Fukushima nuclear plant after it was severely damaged in a 2011 tsunami..
The Chinese import ban came despite Japan saying the water was safe, and many scientists agreeing. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog also approved the plan.
Tokyo has also stressed that similar releases of waste water are common from other nuclear power plants in China and France.
Japan makes regular reports to show that the seawater near Fukushima is showing no detectable levels of radioactivity.
On Sunday, trade ministers from the Group of Seven (G7), an organisation of the world's largest so-called "advanced" economies, called for the immediate repeal of bans on Japanese food.