Mending ties with China

要約

The dispute between Japan and China over the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea has caused bilateral ties to plummet. China is repeatedly violating Japanese territorial waters and airspace around the islands. Japan needs to enhance its ability to protect its territorial waters and airspace in the area. More importantly, the Abe administration must make strenuous diplomatic efforts to find opportunities to talk quietly with China in an effort to put bilateral relations back on a normal path.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe included in his Cabinet political allies who have expressed a hawkish stance on territorial issues. This, combined with Mr. Abe’s call for revising the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution and exercising the right to collective self-defense, has raised concerns among Chinese officials.

But after his Liberal Democratic Party’s overwhelming victory in the Dec. 16 Lower House election, Mr. Abe said that since Japan-China relations are extremely important, he would like to make efforts to return bilateral ties to the “initial point of mutually beneficial strategic relations.”

It must be remembered that the concept was adopted by Japan and China when Mr. Abe visited Beijing in fall 2006 immediately after starting his first tenure as prime minister.

China seems to hope that Mr. Abe will again make moves aimed at thawing chilly ties. He should strive to deepen dialogue with China and make efforts to forge a strong personal relationship with Chinese leader Mr. Xi Jinping.

At the same time, Japan should strive to counter voices in the international community that are attempting to undermine the legitimacy of Japan’s possession of the Senkaku Islands.

Japan’s ultimate goal should be to turn the seas around the islands into an area that produces mutual benefits for Japan and China through fishing and the exploitation of underground natural resources. To this end, Japan should pay serious attention to Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou’s call for talks among China, Taiwan and Japan for joint development of the seas around the Senkaku Islands, and for shelving the sovereignty issue.

日本語の抄訳はウィークリー1月19日号のP18に掲載されています。