BEIJING: Even as the official media here charged Japan with attempting to “encircle” China by courting India and neighbouring countries, Beijing today reacted cautiously to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Tokyo hoping India-Japan ties could be conducive to regional peace.
“We hope that China’s neighbouring countries would develop normal state to state relations”, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei told media briefing here today while answering a question on Singh’s just concluded visit to Japan.
“The development of India-Japan relations could be conducive to regional peace, stability and development”, he said in a brief reaction.
His guarded reaction came as an official daily Global Times came out with a fuming editorial over Japan-India maritime security cooperation charging Tokyo of attempting to “encircle China” by forging strategic alliances in the neighbourhood.
“With Singh on his four-day visit to Japan, both sides have discussed maritime security cooperation. A few days ago, when Shinzo Abe, Singh’s counterpart, visited Myanmar, it was seen as Japan’s attempt to complete a “puzzle game” in order to “encircle China,” the daily said in its editorial today.
“Japan’s strategy for China drives its activity around China’s neighbours. Japan’s prudence and cautiousness prove that China will have a major influence over Japan in the 21st century”, the editorial titled ‘Diplomatic row due to disoriented Japan’, said.
“But Japan’s wishful thinking of encircling China is just an illusion. Besides sneaking a few bargains from its competition with China, Japan does not have the strength to prevail over China’s influence in Asia”, it said.
The allegation of “encirclement of China” is significant as China’s attempts to forge close ties in India’s neighbourhood were perceived as Beijing’s attempt to encircle India. China is currently hosting the sixth visit of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and is pouring billions of dollars of aid and investment in the island nation.
Today’s editorial is second such comment by Chinese official media over Japan’s efforts to forge close ties with India during Singh’s visit.
An article in People’s Daily two days ago termed Japanese politicians “petty burglars” for courting India.
In its editorial the Global Times said China’s rise has resulted in the change of the power pattern of the Asian-Pacific region, making Japan, which has a special geopolitical relationship with China, bear the brunt of this “painful” impact.
“It will take time for Japan to face the reality that the once only great power in East Asia has to give way to China, whose GDP and marine strength will surpass that of Japan. The process will be tougher for Japan, which will be sincerely convinced some day”, it said.
“The day will come sooner or later. The little tricks that Japan is playing are nothing but a struggle for self-comfort, which will not affect the development of Asia”, it said.
The Daily said Japan is trying every means to hide its decline against China in order to boost its national morale, “but China does not need to compete with Japan to regain confidence and prove its strength”.
Despite historic animosities, China and Japan have forged close ties in recent years with their bilateral trade touching USD 345 billion in 2011.
But the two countries are at loggerheads since last year over the disputed islands in East China Sea with both navies vigorously patrolling the waters to assert their claims.
The competition also intensified after China overtook Japan as the second largest economy in 2011.
Prominently featuring Singh’s visit another official newspaper, the China Daily said “Japan-India relations have historically lacked both depth and breadth.”
“For decades, the two sides remained aloof, first due to the Cold War, and then because of Japan’s reflexive opposition to India’s nuclear quest. Japanese interest in India is of recent origin, beginning with the advent of Japanese automobiles in the 1980s.”
The two countries are approaching each other for a host of obvious and not-so-obvious motives, it said.
“They claim to share a desire for security of vital sea lanes in the region, primarily in the Malacca Strait. Japan and India have navies that are among the largest in Asia, and both have shown an avid interest in maritime cooperation.
“Eighty per cent of Japan’s oil passes through the Strait of Malacca, and 20 per cent of ships passing through the strait are Japanese owned. More than 50 per cent of India’s trade passes through the strait,” it said.
India and Japan held their first maritime exercise off the coast of Tokyo in June, paving the way for greater security cooperation.
“Trade potential is another important motive for the Japan-India relationship. Bilateral trade levels remain quite low at USD 6.6 billion – equivalent to just 4 per cent of Japan’s trade with China,” the paper said.
“Both countries hope to take advantage of the many economic opportunities to enhance ties,” it said –PTI
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