Japan, China must put aside their differences
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Japan and China must put aside their differences over territorial claims and consider their relations from a broader perspective, experts said at an international conference in Tokyo to discuss the future of Asia.
Political tensions between the two biggest economies in north- east Asia over the ownership of the Senkaku islands (Diaoyu to the Chinese) and other historical issues dominated much of the discussions on the first day of the Nikkei conference yesterday.
Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, one of the speakers, reminded the audience of largely businessmen and academics that Japan was always ready to sit down with China to mend their ties.
"We are both responsible for the peace and prosperity of the international society. On the Japanese side, the door to dialogue is always open," he said.
But a Chinese scholar pointed out that while China wants to solve territorial issues peacefully, a move by Japan to form an alliance with other countries in the region against China was seen by Beijing as an unfriendly act.
"I think there was an argument that Japan and other countries should form an alliance to stand against China. This makes the situation worse," said Professor Yan Xuetong of Tsinghua University.
China, he said, cannot be friends with a country that takes a confrontational policy against it.
He also reminded Japan that when both sides normalised ties in 1972, China had suggested leaving aside the Senkaku/Diaoyu issue without giving up its claim. Japan's nationalisation of the isles was a signal to Beijing that Japan no longer wanted to be friends.
"The right approach," he said, "is to sit down and have negotiations and have a peaceful settlement that will benefit both of us."
Experts yesterday also pointed out that tensions in East Asia, stemming from North Korea's nuclear missile programme, have increased the propensity of countries to seek to boost their military capability or develop their own nuclear weapons.
"The pressure on South Korea to become militarily self-sufficient is going to increase. Increasing militarisation and increasing nuclearisation is going to be a trend throughout East Asia," said international relations scholar Arthur Waldron of the University of Pennsylvania.
Professor Waldron also expressed doubt that the nuclear umbrella the United States is supposed to provide its allies Japan and South Korea still exists.
"I don't believe that any American president will launch a nuclear weapon except to defend the US, regardless of what we say on paper. I think the situation has changed."
Saying the best guarantee of peace is a balance of power, he added: "I would say what Japan has to do is to develop a military sufficiently strong that even a country like China will be afraid about what Japan will do in case of a conflict."
Speaking earlier in the day, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario called on countries in the region to resolve their disputes peacefully, given the region's growing importance politically and economically.
He said his government's decision to file an arbitration case with the international court to declare illegal China's claim covering nearly the entire South China Sea came after having exhausted all diplomatic and political means to resolve the issue.
"Arbitration will serve to benefit all parties. For China, it will finally clarify for its constituents its maritime entitlements in accordance with international law," he said.
"For the Philippines, it will define what is ours by clarifying our fishing rights, rights to our resources and rights to enforcing our laws within our exclusive economic zone," he added.
Started in 1995, the annual conference is organised by Japan's leading business daily Nikkei, and gathers political leaders, top business executives and academics from around the region to discuss economic and security issues facing the region.
