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Op-Ed

Sino-Japanese Balance Must Be Maintained

Saturday, October 9, 2010

A. R. Malik

By Ahmad Rashid Malik

Sino-Japanese relations revolve around acute sensitivities. A tempest in a teacup can easily turn into a political typhoon.

Both Japan and China are powerful countries. Their relationship is an ancient relationship, but it is often held together by a very weak thread that can be broken at any time on any issue.

This creates many challenges, not only for Japan and China, but also for the many nations which maintain important relations with both of them. A Sino-Japanese rivalry that gets out of hand would present a formidable destabilizing element that would confuse the policies of many nearby nations.

In spite of the great need for a constructive Sino-Japanese relationship, these nations have a tendency to clash even on rather marginal issues.

In regard to the highly emotional, territorial issue presented by the Senkaku / Diaoyu Islands dispute, international law in fact provides more questions than answers.

More assertive military policies by either side could easily trigger a large-scale conflict that would benefit no nation.

Clearly, the recent confrontation over a Chinese fishing boat captain has been a setback to efforts to deal with the islands issue peacefully and has led to an overall deterioration in Japan-China relations.

Both sides will need to keep their heads and adopt more forward-looking policies in order to create a better framework for East Asian peace.

Be that as it may, some observers believe that US-Japan ties have received a boost as a result of the latest crisis. The reality, however, is that it is too early to estimate whether or not this renewed coziness will produce any truly new developments for the region. What can safely be said is that the United States continues to have a role to play in balancing the strategic equilibrium.

Both Japanese and Chinese leaders need to remind themselves that mutual hostility serves neither nation's interest and both parties need to take care that they don't adopt policies that will disturb the existing equilibrium in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ahmad Rashid Malik is a Japan Foundation Fellow and author of an important volume on Pakistan-Japan relations.

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