Tread with caution in the East

Amid the intensified diplomatic row over the Diaoyu Islands dispute, Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, Japan's senior vice-minister of foreign affairs, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday carrying a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda to President Hu Jintao.

Noda was reported to emphasize the importance of "maintaining the strategic and beneficial relationship" in the letter, which indicates Japan's efforts to play down the dispute.

However, to properly handle the dispute, not only Japan and China should deal with each other with calm and reason, but also the US should no longer add fuel to the fire.