Wen Jiabao, Chinese premier, characterized his three-day visit to Japan as “successful.”It was.The mere fact that he was the first Chinese head of government to visit Japan in seven years is proof that he opened a new page in the history of Sino-Japanese relations, which were marred by wars in the last century and before.
While in Japan, Wen talked with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, signed a number of agreements, addressed the Diet, and managed to project a relaxed friendly image to a Japanese public more used to hostile quips from Chinese leaders.He went for morning jogs in Tokyo, performed tai chi poses for a photo op, attended a tea ceremony, and practiced baseball with students from a Kyoto university wearing a No. 35 jersey – for the thirty-fifth anniversary of normalization of relations between China and Japan following the Second World War.
Never before had a Chinese leader done so much to impress the people of Japan, a country that defeated China in 1895 to wrest Taiwan as a colony and invaded the Middle Kingdom again in 1931.The invasion was ended with the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945.
In a joint statement, Wen and Abe vowed in Tokyo to seek ways to develop gas deposits in disputed waters, work together to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and “face up to history” in building forward-looking relations between the two Asian powers.By that quoted phrase Wen signified China would, at least for the near future, let bygones be bygones to foster a better relationship.Hardships lie ahead, and faux pas like Abe’s insistence on Japanese innocence in forcing thousands of Asian women into sex slavery to its military during the war may easily thwart the fence-building efforts, but his summit with Wen at Tokyo marked the first step toward building what they called a strategic, mutually beneficial relationship.
Aside from the disputed gas fields in the East China Sea, the two countries have to settle the issue over each other’s defense buildup. Japan is wary of China’s double-digit increase in defense spending and ability to shoot down a satellite, while Beijing is afraid Tokyo may be further tilted toward Washington’s containment of China.Japan wants a permanent seat in the U.N. Security Council, and China, the only Asian country that has a veto power in that world organization, has yet to openly renounce its objection, not to mention of its support.Japan needs that seat badly to look like a “normal” country or play the role in world politics commensurate with its economic power.
On the other hand, Taiwan is posing no problem between China and Japan.Wen wanted Abe to declare opposition to Taiwan independence in the joint statement, but the Japanese prime minister said as much in talks with Wen but left it out in their declaration at the end of their summit meeting.Wen diplomatically dropped his demand and satisfied himself with Abe’s reiteration of Japan’s one China principle specified in the joint declaration of 1972 to normalize their relations.Kakuei Tanaka, Japanese prime minister, declared in Beijing 35 years ago Japan respects the Chinese claim that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.A more self-confident China does not consider the Taiwan issue a stumbling block to a strategic and mutually beneficial tie with Japan.
Both countries need that tie.In fact, it is Abe himself who initiated the current rapprochement between the two biggest economies in Asia.During Japan’s long economic slump, the hope had been that business interests might trump politics.Abe’s predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, refused to buckle under pressure to stop visiting the Yasukuni shrine, where Japan’s war dead, including 13 Class A war criminals, are honored.Relations between Japan and China, which considered Koizumi’s pilgrimage a sign of a resurging militarism, plunged to a new low, until Abe made an ice-breaking visit to Beijing in last October, barely two weeks after he had been sworn in.He chose to visit China before he went to the United States.As a matter of formality, Wen returned Abe’s October visit.
Abe had read the writings on the wall.China reappeared as Japan’s top trading partner at the end of 2004.It was for 11 years before 2003.It has been for the past two years, with Japan relying ever heavily on China for economic growth.A Foreign Ministry survey in February 2006 showed a 78 percent majority of the Japanese wanted better relations between Japan and China.The Japanese may not love the Chinese but they told the government Japan needs a better tie with its giant neighbor.
The new Sino-Japanese partnership is going to threaten no one.Relations between Japan and the United States will remain unaffected.Washington does not have to readjust its Pax Americana strategy.Japan and China, individually or jointly, continue to depend on the United States as the world’s economic engine.The two countries do not have to change their policies unless Uncle Sam could not get out of the quagmire of the Iraqi war and were forced to give up his role as the world’s policeman.
Nor will South Korea and Taiwan be affected.South Korea has been greatly improving economic cooperation with China, while Japan has boosted exchanges with Taiwan.If Taipei could follow Seoul’s footsteps to improve economic ties across the Taiwan Strait, it would reap an extra dividend from the newly formed strategic and mutually beneficial relationship between Japan and China.
All members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations would benefit from the new Sino-Japanese strategic partnership.Both China and Japan have been trying to beat each other to be the leader of the emerging trade bloc in Asia.Japan was dreaming of leading a new Great Asian Co-prosperity Sphere.China was reasserting its Middle Kingdom leadership in the whole of Asia.Their new partnership signals an end to their competition.They are ready to become co-leaders of the economic zone that one day may become the world’s largest, although it won’t evolve as another European Union.
In Asia there lacks the sense of mutual trust that made the European Union a reality.But the two biggest nations in Asia finally saw eye to eye on the role they have to play.It is truly heartening to see Japan and China trying to get along.They took one giant step forward together for a more prosperous Asia.
（本文刊載於96.04.16 China Post第4版，本文代表作者個人意見）
