Japan should see China as partner, not threat: Chinese ambassador to Japan

[TaiShang]

Japan sees America as a threat to national sovereignty, more than Chinese, actually.

This line is important and must be underlined.

It seems Japan has been using regional dynamics to open itself a greater room for sovereign decision making. That's probably the reason for the seemingly unending tensious situation between China and Japan, which, for the same reason, never boils over to an impediment to deeper bilateral relations let alone a physical confrontation.

Probably many in China's decision making structures understand this predicament and tolerate it, also putting up a tough anti-Japan face at times. Every conversation I had with my colleagues from Japan in Track II settings, I saw universal recognition of the US being Japan's real enemy. But enemy is so within, it is hard to get rid of it or act out in the open.

I guess both China and Japan have this strategic depth to manage the situation. Between two other nations, a similar situation would already result in a bigger crisis. But China and Japan are just two very special historical neighbors.

 

[C130]

actions speak louder than words, and Chinese actions betray it's words

 

[Aepsilons]

actions speak louder than words, and Chinese actions betray it's words

That is why we refer to statecraft as an art form, it requires a keen mind, and a prudent spirit to understand all facets of politicking. Nothing is ever black and white , my friend. This is how China and Japan see things, in fact we have had such relations for close to 3,000 years. So i trust our diplomatic processes to take care of it, its second nature.

 

[vtnsx]

Japan and China are both civilizational partners, both are Confucian civilizations that have had close contact , complementary, if i may add, for nearly 3 millennia. Throughout these three millennia , there has always been high volume of trade, cultural transfer and diplomatic oversight between Japan and the Chinese Nation State. The level of mutual development between the two is unique and there is no other civilization state that can compare to this relationship.

Throughout history there were various wars between Japan and China, however, history has shown that wars between the two were usually fielded due to archaic notions of imperialistic and military adventurism secondary to industrial and economic demands at home. The defeat in WW2 had been a lesson for Japan that solving economic and political problems at home through short term military adventurism need not be a final solution. In fact what it had taught the entire Japanese nation state and succeeding generations is the indemnity of war for absolute infantilistic notions of imperialistic agenda. Since the end of the war Japan had placed its weight on omnidirectionality in the hopes of repairing relations with its neighbors, and with the rest of the developing world. Critical to this was to improve the relations with China ala Taiwan through unique bilateral mechanisms.

I would say that since the end of WW2 both Japan and China have gone a long way from being enemies, to being peace treaty partners, co-developmentalists, and social progressivists. In a chronological point of view, my friend, we have to bear in mind what we (Japan and China) have done together to mend our wounds. And we have done much. Aside from a very insignificant dispute in the Senkakus / (the Chinese will refer to it as Diaoyutai), there really is not much territorial difference between Japan and China.

I would encourage fellow civilian observers to allow the state diplomats between China and Japan to handle issues of territory on their own way, and let diplomats do their job. Till then, its important we be realistic, and focus on progress-oriented mechanisms.

I end this with a reiteration of my main theme: War between Japan and China is out of the option and will never happen.


Regards.

I highly doubt China would accept Japan's apology. It's better to not apologize for the damages caused. US never apologize for nuking Japan twice and they still got much more respect from Japan. C'mon get real. You don't go around destroying someone's house then apologize for it. You do it because you can. You show them who is the boss. Japan should never apologize to China. We all know China likes to boast about themselves. We all know how pathetic they are and how weak they can be. They can't even hold themselves in an argument, let alone fight a war. The SCS is just an excuse for China to play the "Big Boy" role today when no body actually give them the attention they need. Big deal, let them play in the SCS. Why even bother arguing about China in SCS, China Drilling, China this, China that. Who the f cares. It is just a waste of time. Let these internet warriors sharpen their keyboards while I'm doing something much more important.

Apology is a sign of surrender.

@Viet @Rechoice @dichoi

 

[soundwave1987]

You are very sharp, my friend! Are you specialized in East Asian policy ?

During this time, around the early to mid 1950s, your country's greatest statesman, Zhou Enlai, once appraised on the imposition of the 1951 Washington-Tokyo Treaty of Mutual Defense as one that posed a threat to Japanese security and national independence and had no qualms about appealing to Japanese nationalist sentiment in support of his positions.

In fact, Zhou said that the PRC leadership understood that the peace and security treaties had been forced upon Japan by the United States in cooperation with a "traitorous" group of reactionaries in the Japanese government who had put the Japanese in the "unprecedented national danger (minzoku kiki)" of being involved in another war of aggression by "shamelessly selling out the state's independence and sovereignty."

Zhou's appeal to Japanese nationalist sentiment was a carefully targetted rhetorical strategy. In a conversation with Yoshida , Zhou once told him , and Yoshida would write about it in his journals, about how the security treaty seemed to be a continuation of the American occupation and included the danger of involving the Japanese nation in another self destructive war with the Soviets (which were the threat at the time).

It seems that during that time, there were factions in the LDP who were in the position of Japan forming a strategic security pact with PRC. In fact this was actually the direction of policy from 1960s all the way up to the late 1970s. This would change with the Reagan administration in the early 1980s.

In other words, buddy, Japan is not "100% Pro America", only a naive fool would think so. Japan sees America as a threat to national sovereignty, more than Chinese, actually. The predicament we are in is having to change constitutional legislative laws that have been set in place (ironically it was written by Americans) since the end of the war , which had severely limited Japan's foreign policy abilities.

In other words, the proverbial "chain" America has on Japan is historical. A means to control the "vanquished" enemy, Imperial Japan, from being a threat to American Pacific Hegemony.




Oh , did i say it so directly? lol. I suppose i did.

No bro I majored in industrial economy, but I read books. I'm enthusiastic with European & Japanese culture & mythology & history, especially the Japanese one. I'm always amazed with Japan, a country so much alike yet so much distinct with China, a country experienced love and hatred equally deep with China, a country was both apprentice and teacher to China. Japan & China are so similar yet so different with each other at the same time, to me the two countries defined very well the complexity of paradox or Yin & Yang in oriental concept. I know the Japanese ideology and philosophy is subtle and hard to understand by foreigners, but if there's a country who can understand Japan better than others, I'd say it would be China, and vice versa.
So, although I disagree with Japanese government and maybe Japanese public opinion in many political issues, I (and most Chinese) can understand better the reason or the thought deep down. Like I always said, the US (and the West) plays mastery in divide & rule game, and we strive for the benefit of China for sure, yet we can see who's the real monster lurking in the shadow.
By the way, I don't believe US could rule out the history forever, and there's a poem I like very much for a long time:
祇園精舎の鐘の声
諸行無常の響きあり
沙羅双樹の花の色
盛者必衰の理をあらわす
おごれる人も久しからず
ただ春の夜の夢のごとし
たけき者もついには滅びぬ
偏に風の前の塵に同じ

 

[Aepsilons]

Your analysis made me cry. Beautifully written....

No bro I majored in industrial economy, but I read books. I'm enthusiastic with European & Japanese culture & mythology & history, especially the Japanese one. I'm always amazed with Japan, a country so much alike yet so much distinct with China, a country experienced love and hatred equally deep with China, a country was both apprentice and teacher to China. Japan & China are so similar yet so different with each other at the same time, to me the two countries defined very well the complexity of paradox or Yin & Yang in oriental concept. I know the Japanese ideology and philosophy is subtle and hard to understand by foreigners, but if there's a country who can understand Japan better than others, I'd say it would be China, and vice versa.
So, although I disagree with Japanese government and maybe Japanese public opinion in many political issues, I (and most Chinese) can understand better the reason or the thought deep down. Like I always said, the US (and the West) plays mastery in divide & rule game, and we strive for the benefit of China for sure, yet we can see who's the real monster lurking in the shadow.
By the way, I don't believe US could rule out the history forever, and there's a poem I like very much for a long time:
祇園精舎の鐘の声
諸行無常の響きあり
沙羅双樹の花の色
盛者必衰の理をあらわす
おごれる人も久しからず
ただ春の夜の夢のごとし
たけき者もついには滅びぬ
偏に風の前の塵に同じ