Defuse dangerous tensions

There has been resistance at home and beyond as Japan inches toward revising its pacifist constitution and establishing a full-fledged military. To overcome this resistance, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his supporters are overplaying external threats. The recent intrusion of the Japanese warship and military plane into China's drill zone is just part of the long-standing pattern of Tokyo provoking and stirring up trouble to fan the flames of nationalist sentiment at home and seek support for its military buildup.

Such acts based on self-interest will do no good to regional stability. It is in the fundamental interests of both sides to ease the tension and improve and stabilize bilateral ties by adhering to the principles and spirit enshrined in the four political documents between China and Japan.

To this end, it is all the more essential to realize that the souring of bilateral ties is not simply because of the territorial dispute. Given the complexity of the issues, the two countries will not be able to come up with any quick fix and thus should remain coolheaded and seek a viable solution in the long run.

Tokyo should withdraw from its conspiracy of playing up the islands dispute and broaden its perspective on bilateral ties. After all, the overall interests of the bilateral relations lie in their interdependency especially on the economic front, and it is of mutual benefit for the two countries to shelve the dispute over the Diaoyu Islands and seek cooperation in other areas.

Japan should also understand and respect China's maritime needs. The 30-plus years of reform and opening-up have equipped China with the economic foundation and technological conditions needed for its maritime development, which remains rather backward. The country's maritime activities including its naval drills will become more regular, though still not comparable with the many drills conducted by Japan and the United States, and Tokyo should be aware of that.

Moreover, considering that bilateral tensions have escalated from the level of maritime law enforcement to military confrontation, the two countries should set up a bilateral maritime emergency management mechanism. They should also standardize the notification system to inform each other of their major maritime activities, so as to enhance communication and avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations.

The resumption of the Sino-Japanese maritime consultation and negotiation process is also of great necessity. Beijing and Tokyo reached a principled consensus on the East China Sea issue in June 2008 through consultations on an equal footing. However, they stalled after the detention of a Chinese trawler captain by the Japanese coast guard in the contested waters in 2010. Of course, even with the resumption of the process, bilateral differences will persist and they will find it hard to reach a consensus. Still, the resumption of bilateral negotiations will be a key step toward easing tension over the islands and boosting mutual trust.

China, meanwhile, should attach great importance to its policy toward Japan. China surpassed Japan in nominal GDP in 2010, and after three more years of development, the country has gained a competitive edge over Japan not only on the economic front but also in many other areas. Japan remains pessimistic about the future of its economy. Today these feelings have gone from bad to worse because of its rising neighbor, which is likely to undermine the development of bilateral ties. That is why China must accurately define bilateral relations and analyze Japan's role and influence in the process of China's peaceful development.

China's rise is inevitable, and Beijing should promote the fact its rise is peaceful to dispel the concerns of other countries, including Japan. It is equally important to enhance communication and consultation with Washington, as it plays a key role in influencing Japan's policy initiatives, and hence can make efforts to prevent a military clash between China and Japan.

The author is director of the Center for China Marine Strategy Studies, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

(China Daily 11/22/2013 page8)