China Tactics

A friend told me on the phone the other day the following:

"Most Chinese feel that if the Japanese government genuinely and publicly apologised for what its wartime attrocities in China that they would feel satisfied, it is the lack of acceptance of historic fact that angers the Chinese people so much..."

Rightly so. After all the Chinese are generally peaceful and reasonable people. So this is for all you who feel embittered and angered by the arrogant history distorting "Japanese pigs":

Statement by Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama (1995)

"Now, upon this historic occasion of the 50th anniversary of the war's end, we should bear in mind that we must look into the past to learn from the lessons of history, and ensure that we do not stray from the path to the peace and prosperity of human society in the future.

During a certain period in the not too distant past, Japan, following a mistaken national policy, advanced along the road to war, only to ensnare the Japanese people in a fateful crisis, and, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations. In the hope that no such mistake be made in the future, I regard, in a spirit of humility, these irrefutable facts of history, and express here once again my feelings of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apology. Allow me also to express my feelings of profound mourning for all victims, both at home and abroad, of that history.

Building from our deep remorse on this occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of the war, Japan must eliminate self-righteous nationalism, promote international coordination as a responsible member of the international community and, thereby, advance the principles of peace and democracy. At the same time, as the only country to have experienced the devastation of atomic bombing, Japan, with a view to the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons, must actively strive to further global disarmament in areas such as the strengthening of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. It is my conviction that in this way alone can Japan atone for its past and lay to rest the spirits of those who perished.

It is said that one can rely on good faith. And so, at this time of remembrance, I declare to the people of Japan and abroad my intention to make good faith the foundation of our Government policy, and this is my vow. "

For the full speech click here (in fact, the Japanese have publicly apologised 6 times to China and have given billions of dollars in aid each year to China by way of compensation). Why doesn''t anyone in China know this? Its not that difficult to figure out.

My wife recieved another one of the millions of text messages flying around the country ranting about how the Chinese should boycott Japanese goods in a bid to destroy thier economy. This is a typical display of nationalistic ignorance winning over a basic thought process. For example:

1. Japan trades USD$ 203 billion a year...
2. Japan is China's largest trade China...
3. Mega quantities of Japanese stuff is largely Made In China giving more than a few Chinese jobs and fuelling thier economic growth through massive Foreign Direct Investment.
4. The Chinese economy is wholly reliant on FDI for economic growth if it is not to collapse and cause massive social chaos.
5. Therefore if we stop buying Japanese stuff, thier (the Japanese) economy will fail and we (the Chinese) will feel rightly proud of ourselves for being really clever.
6. .....sometime later in China....."Oh. SHIT".

Hmmmm. It is frightening to think that an estimated 30 million of these messages has been spread throughout the country, mostly among the student population who appear to have been studying the wrong textbook on basic economics.

- Posted by James Nash - 2:19:04 PM - Comment? Rules: Criticize ideas? Yes. Criticize people for holding those ideas? No. []