Over the past two weeks, anti-Japanese demonstrations have expanded from Beijing to Shanghai, Guangdong and other cities across China. The targets have also expanded from the Japanese embassy to businesses and expatriates. This is the most severe crisis in Sino-Japanese relations since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1972.
Although Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (
The demonstrations indicate heightened Chinese nationalism. China suffered almost a century of bullying and humiliation at the hands of other nations, and has been through over 60 years of communist upheaval. Now, with its rapid military and economic growth, China seems like an impetuous young man who has yet to learn to control his temper and his strength.
But Tokyo's whitewashing of its wartime atrocities is the fuse that set off an explosion of Chinese nationalism. The protesters who have taken to the streets over the last two weeks are young Chinese, too young to have lived through World War II. Their hatred of the Japanese is a product of media manipulation and indoctrination -- aided by the Internet and other high-tech media.
The Chinese government does not usually allow people to voice their opinions and has clamped down on large-scale demonstrations such as the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 and the Falun Gong movement. Although Beijing has mobilized police to maintain public order, popular sentiment has run so high that even the limited police presence has had little effect. This is why Tokyo believes that Beijing may have given tacit approval for the protests.
Although the Chinese government may be using the demonstrations as a vent for popular discontent, it must stop them from getting out of control. In 2003, there was a total of 58,000 protests in China, an average of 160 a day. The scale of the protests and the frequency with which the government has been their target have also increased. China is under enormous internal pressure on issues ranging from corruption and ethnic conflicts to disparity of economic development and social injustice. Any single protest could spiral out of control and become a national movement that Beijing cannot contain.
If the anti-Japanese riots continue, will Beijing be able to guarantee that the target of the demonstrators will not shift and that the rallies will not get out of control? Surely this consideration will make all foreign businesspeople fearful. Beijing should bring a halt to the anti-Japanese demonstrations and deal with the issue itself, rather than relying on popular pressure.
Tokyo should understand the perspective and feelings of those nations that suffered under Japanese occupation during the war, and reconsider its decision to revise its textbooks. Japan should follow Germany's example and face up to the injury it inflicted during the war, so that its people can learn from history and develop a peaceful spirit that abhors and seeks to avoid armed conflict.
The Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers have already missed one opportunity to resolve this problem. Coming up are the commemoration of the May 4 protests against the Versailles Conference, Victory over Japan (VJ) Day as well as a UN General Assembly meeting. Any of these occasions may give rise to additional tensions.
If this problem is not sorted out quickly and rationally it will become much more serious. China will face increased domestic pressure, as well as suspicion from the international community, while Japan will face damage to its huge investments in China. Both parties will suffer, and the international repercussions could be immense.
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