by Feng Zhaokui

Recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi have once again blocked the way for mutual visits between Chinese and Japanese state leaders.

On March 14, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, responding to a question from a Japanese journalist, said a major obstacle in Sino-Japanese relations is that some Japanese leaders continue to pay homage at the Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese war dead, including 14 class A war criminals, are enshrined. This has seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese and other Asian people.

Premier Wen insisted that Japanese leaders should strictly abide by principles set in the joint statements of the two countries, take history as a mirror and adopt a forward-looking perspective. That means putting an end to actions that cause mental anguish to the Chinese people and hinder the normal development of bilateral relations.

Responding to Premier Wen's comments five days later, Koizumi claimed that he had no plan to take the initiative in breaking the standoff in bilateral political ties, and he would not pay a visit to China since China did not want him to.

Later he further hinted that Chinese anger and opposition to his shrine visits could ignite anti-China sentiment among the Japanese public.

"I will not point my finger to leaders of other countries who pay respect to their war dead, but I have been continuously criticized (by China). What will the Japanese think about that?" he said.

So Koizumi not only stubbornly maintained his wrong stance, he also made a false countercharge.

It is true that the absence of mutual visits between Chinese and Japanese leaders has cast negative influences upon bilateral relations. But bilateral political, economic and cultural exchanges are still advancing forward. This indicates the progress of bilateral relations between China and Japan is the trend of the time, regardless of the personal prejudices of certain leaders like Koizumi.

Those personal prejudices might impact negatively on bilateral relations, but they cannot alter the general trend of development.

In the past the Chinese side has made strenuous efforts to push forward Sino-Japanese relations. Koizumi, however, has displayed an increasingly tough attitude on the issue of history and he has continued to pay homage at the Yasukuni Shrine.

He turned a deaf ear to the proposal by some Japanese politicians and the Republic of Korea that other facilities should be built to replace the Yasukuni Shrine to mourn the dead, and the proposal to remove the memorial tablets of the class A war criminals from the shrine.

He chose to do so out of his own personal belief and the motivation to win some voters. His actions have caused much trouble in developing relations with his Asian neighbors, consciously or not.

China's foreign policy is transparent, so Japan has a clear understanding of it. With regards to Sino-Japanese relations, China always bears the overall situation in mind and puts the general interests above all. But Koizumi should not come to the erroneous conclusion that China will not adamantly oppose his shrine visits, nor will it resort to a trade war as retaliation.

Koizumi may think his tough attitude has won support domestically and diplomatically, but that is by no means a strategic gain.

The development of Sino-Japanese relations, especially bilateral economic relations, cannot be isolated from the general background of economic globalization. The essence of economic globalization is to globally liberate and develop productive forces, and conduct a readjustment of industrial structures worldwide.

China and Japan are at different development stages, but the two economies are strongly complementary. It is in line with the need of the development of advanced productive forces for the two countries to strengthen economic cooperation and push forward their industrial restructure.

The essence of Sino-Japanese economic relations is to liberate and develop advanced productive forces. The essence of maintaining and promoting bilateral economic relations from political and diplomatic perspectives also lies in the need for developing advanced productive forces.

Historical facts have proven that any politics and policies that run counter to the needs of developing advanced productive forces cannot last long.

Koizumi's repeated visits to the Yasukuni Shrine have tied the Sino-Japanese political relationship in a fast knot, but as pointed out by some Japanese media, with the continuous growth of Chinese economy and the continuous development of bilateral economic cooperation, Japan can no longer ignore China's existence.

Such a trend will not be confined to the economic field. Japan's diplomacy will have a historic turning point by attaching much more attention to China.

The current Sino-Japanese relations are like a stream meeting a big stone. The stream, however, will keep flowing forward by making a detour.

(The author is a researcher with the Institute of Japanese Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.)

(China Daily April 7, 2004)