China has sent former diplomats to universities around the country to halt further anti-Japanese protests and rescue bilateral relations that have plunged to 30-year lows, state media said yesterday.
They were dispatched on a six-day mission on Tuesday "to help officials and students correctly understand Sino-Japanese relations," Xinhua news agency reported.
Students have formed the bulk of protesters who have staged often violent rallies against Japan over the past three weekends over its wartime atrocities and push for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.
The former diplomats, including two former ambassadors to Japan, are lecturing at universities in Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Beijing, most of which witnessed protests.
"The series of speeches is meant to make government and Communist Party officials and students of higher learning institutes correctly understand the current international situation, the history and present situation of the Sino-Japanese relations as well as China's policy toward Japan," Xinhua said.
They are telling students "to express their feelings in a lawful and orderly way and not participate in unapproved demonstrations or activities that may affect social stability."
Speakers are also lecturing that "Japan is an important neighbor of China, and the interests of the two countries have been intertwined with each other."
"Friendly co-existence and win-win cooperation between China and Japan is the only correct choice in serving the fundamental interests of the two peoples," the diplomats are saying.
While attempting to cool tempers, the diplomats were not sidestepping the issues at the crux of worsening ties -- Japan's wartime history, Xinhua said.
"Its wrong attitude and actions in a number of issues, including the history issue, deeply hurt the national feeling of the Chinese people and complicated Sino-Japanese relations," former ambassador to France Wu Jianmin (吳建民) said. "It also aroused strong displeasure of peoples in Asian countries, including China."
The decision to send the officials was taken at a meeting organized by the Communist Party's powerful propaganda department and attended by 3,500 officials on Tuesday.
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