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Aso's positive signals on Sino-Japanese ties

By Zhang Tuosheng (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-16 07:59

Japan's political landscape was again rocked when Yasuo Fukuda, who championed proactive advancement of the country's China ties, suddenly announced his resignation as prime minister on Sept 1.

He was under the pressure from waning popular support, numerous "negative assets" left behind by former prime minister Junichiro Koizumi's era, a nation embroiled in a global pandemic of rising oil and food prices, a spreading financial crisis, and particularly from a parliament where the upper and lower houses are controlled by the ruling Liberal Democrats and opposition parties respectively, preventing many of the former's administrative decisions from getting approval.

On Sept 24, Taro Aso, a known "hawk" in Japanese politics, was elected the new prime minister.

Many Chinese and Japanese scholars were initially concerned about Aso succeeding Fukuda, saying his China policy would be very different from that of Fukuda, who strongly pushed for friendly cooperation between Japan and China.

They were worried that Aso might bring up the so-called Crescent of Freedom and Prosperity and "diplomacy of values" he promoted when he was the foreign minister in the Shinzo Abe cabinet.

Some Chinese researchers, still remembering Aso's repeated "slips of the tongue" over the country's history, even warned that the Sino-Japanese relationship "could return to the Koizumi era". That has not happened. Relations have maintained steady development under the Aso administration since it came to power more than two months ago.

Aso sent Chinese President Hu Jintao a message on the day he was elected, saying he attaches great importance to the bilateral ties between the two nations. On many noteworthy occasions afterward, he has sent positive signals to China expressing his wish to push forward the strategic relationship of mutual benefit, realize mutual benefits, win-win results, and work together on stability and prosperity in Asia and the rest of the world.

He also expressed the hope that leaders of the two countries continue their frequent reciprocal visits and contacts. He said China was a key partner of Japan in cooperation, and the fast development of China greatly benefits Japan and the world as a whole.

On the issue of Japan's history, Aso has vowed to maintain the official stand defined by former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama, who expressed "profound remorse" and "sincere apologies" to nations victimized by Japanese colonial rule and aggression in the past;, and took care of the international controversy caused by an article written by Chief of Staff of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Forces, General Toshio Tomagami, who tried to whitewash Japan's history of aggression (by removing him from his military post) in a timely fashion, and demanded all efforts to prevent such incidents from happening again.

In response to the major challenges facing the world today and especially the financial crisis, Aso has said he believes that Japan and China in particular should step up communication and cooperation and praised China's economic measures.

On the matter of exchanges between Japanese and Chinese youths, he has said publicly that the younger generation bears the hopes (of both nations). He expects youths of the two nations to shake off the burden of history, engage in positive exchanges, and build on the non-government friendly ties between the two peoples.

Aso has not brought up his "diplomacy of values" concept again.

He has also managed to meet with Chinese leaders.

Aso held talks with President Hu and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing on Oct 24 after attending the Asia-Europe summit and was present with Chinese leaders at a ceremony to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan. On Nov 22, he and President Hu held their second meeting in Lima, Peru before the APEC economic leaders meeting.

Aso has carried on the policy of improving and developing bilateral ties with China in the basic direction that the two previous prime ministers maintained.

Some people believe that Aso has adopted a pragmatic China policy because the difficult situation facing his cabinet left him no better choice.

He has to focus on two tasks above everything else: dealing with the financial crisis and keeping Japan's economy running in order to regain public trust; and leading the Liberal Democratic Party's efforts to hold on to its ruling position against challenges by the Democratic Party.

With popular support going downhill since he took office, Aso understood that he would be in even greater trouble if he assumed a hard-hitting foreign policy, which would very likely set Japan's relations with its neighbors back to their previous lows.

Indeed, Aso is considered a right-wing politician in Japan whose political philosophy is similar to Abe's and quite different from that of Fukuda. However, it was Abe who heeded Chinese leaders' call and worked with them in breaking the political freeze in bilateral relations back in 2006 and restarted the process of improving and developing Sino-Japanese ties.

Abe did so because of Japan's national interests as well as the general international environment (at that time the international community, including the US, was increasingly concerned about worsening China-Japan relations) and the policy interaction between China and Japan.

It should also be noted that the new situation brought by the strategic relationship of mutual benefit that China and Japan have been pursuing since late 2006 has also benefited the two peoples.

As such, any farsighted Japanese leader who wants to achieve something great must acknowledge and push forward the development of the strategic relationship of mutual benefit instead of working against it.

Toward the end of his term as minister of foreign affairs in the Koizumi cabinet, Aso established a sound channel for dialogue with then Chinese foreign minister Li Zhaoxing; after that he continued to play a positive role in improving and developing Sino-Japanese ties as foreign minister in then prime minister Abe's cabinet. That is why President Hu praised him for always attaching great importance to Japan's relations with China when Aso visited China in October, while Premier Wen referred to him as an "old friend".

Japan has seen two prime ministers come and go since September. Right now the country's political situation is anything but stable, as power struggles grow more intense everyday. This is one of the uncertainties about the China-Japan relationship. However, all things considered, improvement and development of the bilateral ties is expected to continue from here on.

President Hu pointed out in his meeting with Aso on Nov 22 that 2008 was a very significant year for the development of Sino-Japanese relations. The two nations signed their fourth political document on bilateral ties. Hu said: "We attended together the commemorative events celebrating the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan.

"Frequent contacts and communication between leaders of the two countries have powered the development of our bilateral relations forward. The China-Japan relationship is now on a new historic starting block and looking at an important opportunity for further advances"

China and Japan have every reason to be more optimistic than before about the future development of Sino-Japanese ties and should join hands in driving forward the strategic relationship of mutual benefit.

The author is a researcher with China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies

(China Daily 12/16/2008 page9)