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Beginning with the resignation of former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, under the short-lived leadership of Shinzo Abe, Sino-Japanese relations began to warm up, as evidenced by the increased number of friendly contacts between the two sides.
The Chinese marine vessel Shenzhen visited Japan in December, which was a symbolic but significant goodwill visit. Abe's visit to China in October last year, reciprocated by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in April this year, showed the determination on both sides to enliven what had become a static relationship.
Sino-Japanese relations entered a lukewarm period after the end of the Cold War, largely because of the demise of the former Soviet Union, which meant the two countries no longer shared a concern over containing Soviet hegemony. Relations remained static, especially during the 1990s. When Koizumi came to office and chose to ignore Chinese sensitivities, especially over historical issues, relations between the two countries fell to the freezing point.
Many troubles seemed to reemerge during this era -- historical issues set off by Koizumi's frequent visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, the issue of Japanese text books downplaying Japan's invasion of China during World War II, and especially the Nanjing Massacre incident, and questions of sovereignty in the East China Sea, with its rich oil deposits in the seabed below.
These old issues, along with new issues like the cutting back of Japanese economic assistance and political issues like Japan's desire for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, made Sino-Japanese relations colder than ever before.
Accordingly for nearly two decades the two countries lost their initiative of cooperation in both regional and global affairs. This static relationship was popularly termed "cold politics and warm economics" in the 1990s, and "cold politics and cold economics" after 2000. Visits by top officials between the two countries were even suspended for nearly five years.
For much of the Cold War era the two countries had experienced a honeymoon period. Starting when China began its open-door policy in the late 1970s, Japan poured billions of U.S. dollars into China to help reconstruct its economy. Visits from top level officials to ordinary people were very common, various cultural activities were held and many sister cities were formed between the two nations. In those days China really experienced a Japanese wave.
Both countries benefited economically, especially China, which had little foreign investment at that time. China's economy could not have taken off without the contribution of Japan's massive economic aid. At the same time, the huge Chinese market also helped Japanese enterprises to flourish.
Should the current lukewarm situation continue? Obviously for two neighboring countries, especially two of the world's biggest economic powers, such a static situation is very abnormal. From the viewpoint of their national interests as well as global development, it is time to end this embarrassing situation.
It is truly time to reconstruct a healthier relationship. There is a great need for China and Japan to engage rather than contain each other. Many matters require their cooperation. If both countries have strategic partnerships with countries in other continents, why shouldn't Japan and China cooperate in this way? A partner relationship would benefit both.
On the domestic level, both China and Japan face some headaches, including inflation, pensions and employment. The two countries could help compensate for each others' shortcomings, as they did in the 1980s. In addition, in the fields of technology, the space industry and even military cooperation, the exchange of information and experience would further develop the expertise and the prestige of both sides.
On the global level, the two could also cooperate well. The reform of the United Nations, especially the composition of the Security Council; environmental issues like global warming and biological preservation; ocean development; regional economic cooperation and anti-terrorism; even nuclear energy and research in outer space – in all of these areas both countries could benefit from cooperation.
It does not benefit either China or Japan to keep their extreme nationalistic attitudes, emphasizing only their own national interests and benefits. They also need to give up their outdated geopolitical thinking in forming new military alliances. It is time for China and Japan to rethink their relationship, and to think in terms of a strategic partnership rather than only a temporary mutually beneficial relationship.
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(Zhang Quanyi is an associate professor at the Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo, China, and a Ph.D. candidate at Shanghai International Studies University, studying policy making and collective identity. His research interests focus on conflict management and identity construction. He can be contacted at qyzhangupi@gmail.com. ©Copyright Zhang Quanyi.)
