A series of anti-Japan protests has erupted in China recently. From Beijing to Guangzhou to Shenzhen, tens of thousands have taken to the streets. Japanese department stores, restaurants and stores that sell Japanese goods have become targets of rage and attacks. Some shops in China with Japanese investments have temporarily shut down. Japanese tourists and students have stayed indoors. Some Japanese restaurants owned by Taiwanese businesspeople were also vandalized.
The Japanese government has issued strong protests against these demonstrations. Japanese Premier Junichiro Koizumi said that the events were regrettable and that he hopes the Chinese government will do its best to prevent a repeat of similar incidents. Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura demanded an apology from Beijing.
However, China considers the demonstrations to be initiated by the people on their own and therefore "the Chinese government should not be held accountable." So, it seems that we've only seen the beginning of anti-Japan sentiment in China, and it will become more heated. Chances are that tensions between Japan and China will escalate.
The trigger of this anti-Japan trend may well have something to do with the approval of history textbooks in Japan, Japanese efforts to seek a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and disputes over the Tiaoyu islands and oil fields in the East China Sea.
However, the deep-rooted cause is the centuries-old historical feud between the two countries, which in turn has built up an irreconcilable sense of national hatred between the two sides. The cultural and historical exchanges between the two countries go back a long way.
During the Tang Dynasty, a large number of students and monks brought Tang culture to Japan, changing Japanese culture on a comprehensive basis. Today, the way of life and culture of Japan continue to show a high level of influence from Han Chinese culture and the Tang Dynasty.
Chinese first developed a negative view of Japan near the end of the Ming Dynasty, when Japanese pirates looted the southeast Chinese coast. The term wako or "short bandits," thereafter become synonymous with Japanese.
Later, although both Japan and China were victims of Western imperialism, China's Qing Dynasty did not pursue reform. Its tentative reform efforts were aborted mid-way. In Japan, by contrast, the Meiji Emperor successfully implemented reforms, and the country was completely Westernized in an attempt to turn Japan into a world power. Thereafter, the fates of the two countries were diametrically opposed. China was divided up between the world powers, while Japan became a world power after the Russo-Japanese War.
In the past 110 years, the Qing Dynasty was first defeated by Japan in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. Then, after the founding of the Chinese Nationalist government, Japan moved in and out of China at will as a world power. After the "Marco Polo Bridge Incident" on July 7, 1937, Japan launched a total war against China. China refers to this Sino-Japanese war as "8 years of combat in blood." The loss of lives and property was beyond calculation. China therefore views the history of the two countries' relations as a great humiliation. In the minds of Chinese, this history inspires a strong sense of indignation.
Chinese now feel a strong sense of hatred toward Japanese, which has been inflamed by anti-Japanese education. The slightest manipulation is enough to cause an avalanche of anti-Japanese sentiment, which can quickly spiral out of control. Signs suggest that the escalation of the anti-Japanese demonstrations in recent days was tacitly permitted by the Chinese government.
The historical hatred between the two countries is an account that cannot be balanced out. Which side has wronged the other side, and which country owes the other country?
Only when and if the people of the two countries are willing to put aside their hatred can there be any resolution. There is no need for others to jump onto the bandwagon. Nor is it necessary to take sides.
As a country with complex historical ties to both sides, Taiwan should observe and study the conflict's development. From this perspective, Taiwan has no need to get in the middle of this historical feud between Japan and China, or to try to mediate. Rather, the focus of Taiwan's concern should be whether the anti-Japan demonstrations suggest the rise of Chinese nationalism. While the target may be Japan this time around, in the future such feverish nationalism may have serious implications for Taiwan.
In terms of the rise of Chinese nationalism, it is no longer a "what if" question, but a growing reality. China's socialist experiment has failed. Communism has been replaced by a free market economy. Politically, nationalism has replaced internationalism. In fact, Chinese nationalism is beginning to surface in the domain of international politics in an aggressive manner.
In the past, when China was victimized and carved up by the world powers, nationalist campaigns also occurred. However, those campaigns were no more than the feeble shouting of the weak, and did not impact the security and interests of other countries.
But China is no longer weak, and its economic and military might expands by the day. It is now a regional power, and it doesn't conceal its ambition to become a superpower on par with the US. Under the circumstances, the Chinese nationalism highlighted by the recent protests cannot be simply treated as a flare-up of anti-Japanese sentiment. Rather, caution must be taken to prevent it from adding momentum to its external aggression.
Once Chinese aggression begins, the prime target will be either Japan or Taiwan. But Taiwan has even more reason to worry about China's ambition. That's because Japan is still stronger than China. China would still have reservations about using force against Japan.
On the other hand, China claims sovereignty over Taiwan as part of its territory. Recently, China enacted the "Anti-Secession" Law, codifying its longstanding threat to use force against Taiwan. Taiwan could easily become the victim of rising Chinese nationalism.
But this doesn't mean that Taiwanese should worry too much. The rise of an aggressive China is a threat to the entire Asia-Pacific region. Recently the US and Japan publicly stated for the first time that security of the Taiwan Strait is a common strategic objective.
This turned Taiwan into a silent partner of the two countries in standing up against Chinese hegemony. So long as there is no internal division within Taiwan -- such as certain parties competing for a pat on the head from Beijing and thus confusing the international community -- the security of the Taiwan Strait will be safeguarded under the watchful eyes of the US and Japan.
With respect to the rise of Chinese nationalism, Shoichi Nakagawa, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, bluntly said that China is a "scary" country. The lives and property of Japanese businesspeople, students and tourists are seriously threatened by the anti-Japan protests.
Isn't this enough to make the Taiwanese businesspeople come to their senses? One year after his retirement, Chi Mei Group (
The threat to Taiwan posed by rising Chinese nationalism is something that our compatriots must not overlook. We should all be alarmed.
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