Last UPDATE: September 30, 2012
Yesterday, September 26, 2012, at the United Nations General Assembly,
Japan's prime minister Yoshihiko Noda (photo above) said that Diaoyu Island (which the Japanese call Senkaku) should be regarded as an integral part of Japan's territory and that Japan would not compromise on the item.
The day before, at UN General Assembly,
China's foreign minister Yang Jiechi had used a similar stance to inform his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba that China would not compromise either.
[Source:
Al-Jazeera on September 27, 2012]
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Even Japan's opposition can be expected to follow the government because the Liberal Democratic Party's new leader is known as a hawk when it comes to Chinese-Japanese relations.
As stances are getting tougher,
military action between both sides cannot be excluded any longer. Even more as activists from Taiwan were showing up at Diaoyu Island, some days ago, to protest against Japan's territorial claims.
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A request at the
regular press conference of
China's foreign ministry, held on September 26, delivers a glimpse of China's position in the Diaoyu conflict. The ministry's spokesman
Hong Lei answered journalist questions:
问：今天，日本前首相安倍晋三当选自民党新总裁，有可能成为日新首相。中方对此有何评论。
Question:
Today, Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe has been elected the Liberal [Democratic] Party's new leader who could become Japan's new prime minister. What comment does China have regarding this subject ?
答：这是日本内政，我不作评论。
Answer:
This is regarding Japan's internal politics. I don't comment on this.
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Editor's Note:
Japan's tough-talking
former prime minister Shinzo Abe, who has taken a hawkish stance against China and South Korea on the subject of the notorious island disputes between Tokyo and those countries, has been elected as president of the main opposition
Liberal Democratic Party LDP.
Abe, who defeated ex-defense chief Shigeru Ishiba in a run-off election Wednesday, September 26, could get another chance to lead Japan, if the LDP wins next election as polls suggest.
[Source:
The Chosun Ilbo Online, Tokyo, September 27, 2012]
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问：安倍晋三在担任日首相期间曾处理过对华事务，中方对他在中日关系发展中所发挥的作用有何评论，对两国关系发展有何期待？
Question:
Shinzo Abe, while holding the office of Japan's prime minister, dealt with China related affairs. What comment has the Chinese side to give with regard to him, concerning [his] intentions that came into play in the frame of a development of Chinese-Japanese relations ? What expectations [does China have] for the development of both countries' relations ?
答：当前中日关系面临十分严峻的局面，这完全是由于日方罔顾中方强烈反对、执意非法“购买”钓鱼岛造成的，其全部责任应完全由日方承担。我们要求日方打消幻想，切实纠正错误，停止一切损害中国领土主权的行为，回到谈判解决钓鱼岛问题的正确轨道上来，为改善中日关系创造条件。
Answer:
Current Chinese-Japanese relations are confronted with an extremely grim situation. This is completely due to Japan not taking in consideration China's strong opposition and is caused by [Japan's] determination to illegally "buy" Diaoyu Island. [Therefore], Japan should completely bear total responsibility. We demanded the Japanese side to give up [their] illusions, to earnestly correct their mistakes and to stop every action that is damaging China's territorial rights. Coming up on the right way of returning to talks [in order] to settle the issue of Diaoyu Island would improve the creation of [favourable] conditions for Chinese-Japanese relations.
[Source:
People's Network, Beijing, on September 26, 2012]
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Impact of Tensions on East Asia's Economy
On September 20,
CNN reported on East Asia's economy suffering from the financial crisis in Europe. A remarkable slowdown has been observed in, both, China and Japan. While Japan's export has shrunk 5.8 % in August, Shanghai Composite stocks have fallen by nearly 8 % this year. Other East Asian stock markets (Nikkei, Hang Seng and Seoul Kospi) closed with negative reports as well on the reference date of September 20, 2012. On that day, the Japanese Nikkei index suffered a loss of -1.57 % which is comparable with a -2.08 % loss for the Shanghai Composite index.
On September 29, 2012, the Chinese edition of the
The Wall Street Journal wrote about a 5.4 % decrease in export for all sorts of Japanese motorcars (i.e. limousines, trucks and busses) during the last eight months. Production numbers sank from 363.800 to 344.049 in August 2012. It should be added that public traffic in Mainland China is, up to now, extensively using Japanese vehicles.
"The Wall Street Journal" in Chinese
on Japanese Car Production in 2012:
In addition to the
impact of global causes, both national economies, in China and in Japan, will increasingly suffer from political tensions between both countries. Chinese protesters calling for a boycott of Japanese goods are the first to point at the most vulnerable point of Japan's economy - its exports to China which make mainland China the most important market for Japan's economy. Sure, China will suffer as well from
bilateral tensions. However Japan seems to be even more vulnerable because of its energy problem caused by the Fukushima incident and which forced
Japan to think over its nuclear program. On the other side, China has its own natural resources, including natural gas, while crude oil has already been stored in great amounts during past years when China negotiated treaties with oil producing countries.
Furthermore, China is on good terms with most of its neighbours. Regular meetings in the frame of APEC and SCO unite China's leadership with other Asian leaders like Russia's strongman Putin on the basis of common interest. China is even promoting the development of regional markets in Asia in its own interest. That's why Hu Jintao recently met with
Afghanistan's president Karzai and with Kazakhstan's newly elected president Akhmetov. As to the
Kazakh subject, here another request answered on the above-mentioned press conference of China's foreign ministry on September 26:
另有记者问及：哈萨克斯坦总统已任命阿赫梅托夫为新总理，中方对此有何评论？中方如何看待中哈关系发展前景？
Question:
Has the president of Kazakhstan already appointed Akhmetov as new prime minister ? Is there any comment from the Chinese part to that subject ? How does China regard the prospects of developing relations between China and Kazakhstan ?
洪磊表示，我们对阿赫梅托夫先生就任哈萨克斯坦总理表示祝贺。中哈是友好邻邦和全面战略伙伴，两国关系具有广阔的发展前景。中方愿与哈方继续共同努力，推动中哈全面战略伙伴关系不断向前发展，造福两国人民。
Answer:
Hong Lei indicates that China expresses its gratulations towards Mr. Akhmetov taking the office of Kazakhstan's prime minister. China and Kazakhstan are friendly neighbouring countries and overall strategic partners. The relations between both countries possess broad prospects of development. China is willing to continue together with Kazakhstan their common great efforts and carry ahead an uninterrupted development of the Chinese-Kazakh overall strategic partnership that benefits both countries' peoples.
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In the middle of a violent dispute between both countries:
PR China is celebrating
"40 Years of Negotiations" with Japan.
[Source:
People's Network, Beijing, on September 28, 2012]
Above: China's leaders meeting with Japanese prime ministers.
Mao Tse Tong (September 1972), Deng Xiao Ping (October 1978), Jiang Ze Min (November 1998), Hu Jin Tao (May 2008).
Editor's Opinion:
The United States of America would be badly advised to help their Japanese junior partners, isolated in the region, in their struggle for Diaoyu Island unless they want to risk a longterm engagement that would cost them more money, reputation (and probably troops) they could ever imagine.
A Chinese comment is indicating that the Diaoyu conflict originated from U.S. interference in favour of Japan rather than from a century-old quarrel between regional powers. In other words, Japan would probably never have mentioned that subject if Tokyo was not backed by a questionable U.S. strategy that makes it difficult for China to deliver an adequate answer to the territorial claims of Japanese hardliners. Such evaluation of Japan's recent behaviour towards China (and South Korea) should make the U.S. remember their own war against Japan in the 1940s when many of their best troops perished in a bloody battle against Japan's imperialism that had invaded vast areas of East and South East Asia. Until now, that battle has often been referred to as "island hopping", kind of strategy the U.S. and Japan have just been training together in their latest joint maneuvres .....
China and its Sphere of Influence:
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