Breaking Barricades

　　The current state of Sino-Japanese relations is strikingly worrisome. Particularly in the past year， conflicts have deepened between the two on issues concerning historical perception， territorial sovereignty and security. In a speech at a meeting of the 21st Century Committee for China-Japan Friendship， recently held in Nagasaki， Japan， Zhou Mingwei， a committee member， shared his thoughts on current Sino-Japanese relations. Excerpts as follows：

　　As the world’s second and third largest economies， we cannot help but wonder why historical disagreements and territorial disputes are still the major barricades to the relations between China and Japan after their bilateral ties and mutual interdependence have experienced leapfrog development since the normalization of their diplomatic relationship more than 40 years ago.

　　Although there are numerous urgent issues for the two governments to tackle together in trade， people-to-people exchange， mutual trust as well as environmental management， Japanese leaders have deliberately rubbed salt in the wounds of Chinese people and even Japanese people who have suffered from the painful experience of Japanese aggression against China during World War II. They re-open these wounds wantonly and repeatedly. At the same time， the Japanese Government also chose to play with fire over the Diaoyu Islands issue， which can easily incite nationalism in people and cannot be fundamentally resolved in a short time.

　　Probing the causes

　　Since the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations in 1972， experience shows that if the two countries can handle the historical issue and territorial disputes properly， it is not impossible that the two can narrow differences and prevent conflicts. But why has the Japanese side chosen to use these two most sensitive and complicated issues to irritate bilateral ties and disturb the normal development of Sino-Japanese relations？ The following two points may identify the main reason.

　　First， some people in Japan have not fully understood and gotten used to the great changes of China over the past three decades. Some doubt China’s rapid growth and even remain immersed in a cold-war mentality. They do not acknowledge or accept China’s development， trying instead to demonize it. Especially when China replaced Japan as the world’s second largest economy， some extremist forces in Japan became even more irrational and out of control. They began to provoke China constantly on multiple issues， smearing China’s image and defaming China’s rapid progress as well as its growing global influence.

　　Second， the purpose of Japan’s instigating the territorial disputes and historical revisionism is not to resolve the problems but to facilitate constitutional rewriting and military expansion by shaping China as its rival domestically and internationally. In the past year， the top Japanese leader has visited more than 40 countries in a rare feat. Each time， he would discuss Sino-Japanese relations， giving the global community an impression that Japan is facing a strong enemy and justifying his arguments for constitutional amendment and military expansion. He has posed to the world the idea that Japan would readily join hands with other countries to contain China.

　　But whose cheese has China’s economic development moved， anyway？ Is China an opportunity or a challenge？ A threat or a partner？ Answers to these questions vary widely within Japan.

　　First of all， China—a country with a population of 1.3-billion—has made tremendous achievements during the past 30-plus years. Its momentum derives from the Chinese people’s determination to improve their livelihood and change the situation of past decades， and even hundreds of years， when their nation had fallen behind others in the world. This aspiration is not tied to any ideology or social system. Hence， China’s economic development never aims to supersede that of any other country， and surely does not seek to outdo or threaten Japan.

　　Second， the Chinese economy interlinks with the world economy， demanding an international environment of peace， win-win cooperation and long-term stability. By late 2013， China had become the top trade partner of nearly 130 economies in the world. Such a global presence signals the prospects of China’s future economic development， the realization of the Chinese dream， as well as the peaceful and stable development of regional and world economies. Therefore， China is more aware of the significance of global interdependence than any other country， which has spurred it to initiate the concept of building new-type relationships between major powers as well as stressing the guideline for its neighborhood diplomacy featuring amity， sincerity， mutual benefit and inclusiveness as well as good-neighborliness. China’s economic development， which is based on interdependence， is incapable of threatening any other country. The country’s development not only benefits its people， but also provides opportunities and momentum for common prosperity in its region， including Japan， and the world at large.

　　Third， insisting on the path of peaceful development is not only the basic national policy of China， but is also supported by the country’s tradition and culture as well as modern reform and development. China has pursued a cultural tradition of peace， harmony and non-interference with other countries. Its development must therefore entail a peaceful rise. No matter the international environment China finds itself in， the country will remain committed to peaceful development. In history， Japan is the only country to have disrupted China’s modernization process twice. Today， China is willing to see Japan as a partner that can play an active role in China’s modernization. China hopes there will be more political leaders from both sides with the courage to stand out， uphold friendly relations from generation to generation， and keep their promises， so as to target long-term friendliness as an established goal of China-Japan relations.

　　Finding a way back

　　Recently， the China-Japan bilateral relationship has been seriously damaged， resulting in negative consequences for bilateral communication. But cultural communication still is counted on to play a key role at such a perilous time. Efforts need to be made in four major fields.

　　More enthusiasm should be displayed. Both sides should show more eagerness for cultural communication instead of downplaying or ignoring it. Only passionate cultural communication can truly play a vital， enduring and long-sighted role in bilateral relations.

　　More celebrities should get involved. Chinese and Japanese figures in academic， artistic and other cultural circles should take the lead in undertaking the important function of cultural exchange ambassadors. Celebrities， with their special influence， can inspire bigger swathes of the populace， especially young people， to participate in cultural communication.

　　More friends should be made. Everyone joining in cultural communication should use cultural activities as platforms to make friends， so as to expand cultural exchange through personal connections. Currently， members of friendship organizations on both sides have generally reached a senior age. Cultural exchange must be inherited by younger generations. Thus， China and Japan should enhance people-to-people communication via cultural exchanges.

　　More mechanisms should be established. Three communicative mechanisms should be built between China and Japan. A cultural exchange coordinating committee covering governmental and non-governmental personnel should be created to organize， coordinate and propel bilateral cultural exchange activities. A committee should be in charge of coordinating bilateral media communication so as to sufficiently utilize the important role of the media. A China-Japan youth communication coordinating committee should be set up to allow more young people attend bilateral exchanges.

　　Furthermore， China and Japan should generally transfer big projects from the processing industry to areas in which Japan holds a technical advantage and China has a large market demand， such as environmental protection， urban management and new energy utilization. Bilateral trade and economic exchanges still need the drive and support of big projects， the new mechanisms of which will provide the momentum needed to fulfill these missions.