Op-Ed Contributors

Neighbors can be good friends, too

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-04-02 07:51

China and Japan, whose historical ties have gone through ups and downs, have come closer in the face of the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11 and the radiation leaks from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The quake and the tsunami have left more than 11,400 people dead. More than 16,200 others were unaccounted for till Thursday morning.

In recent years, China-Japan relations have been soured by senior Japanese officials' controversial visits to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, which honors some 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including 14 Class-A war criminals.

Related readings:  Crises open doors for Sino-Japan cooperation  Japan says relations with China improving  China sends third batch of aid to Japan

Bilateral ties reached another historic low after a Chinese fishing trawler collided with two Japan Coast Guard vessels, following which Japanese authorities arrested the trawler's captain in the waters off the Diaoyu Islands last September.

But after the quake and tsunami, China expressed its deep sympathies and offered aid to Japan, while Japan helped some Chinese nationals to evacuate from the disaster zone. China and Japan are neighbors, separated only by a narrow strip of water, and Chinese people feel deeply the pain Japanese people are suffering.

On March 14, President Hu Jintao offered condolences to Japanese Emperor Akihito and pledged all possible help. Four days later, President Hu visited the Japanese Embassy in Beijing to express his sympathy.

Premier Wen Jiabao offered condolences to Japan on two occasions and also promised all help.

After the quake and tsunami, China swiftly provided 30 million yuan ($4.5 million) worth of aid to Japan and sent an international rescue team to the quake-hit zone. Later, China offered 10,000 tons of gasoline, 10,000 tons of diesel and other aid materials.