Japan has declared that China is an enemy.  And during Chinese New Year's, they invaded the Diaoyu islands.  All of this on top of their shameless attitude to celebrate their acts of GENOCIDE against Chinese, and in fact, Asian peoples, by deliberately indoctrinating their young children with propaganda textbooks AND enshrining their war crimminals at their national religious shrine.

So tell me, how could Chinese people possibly reward such bad behaviour by enriching them with their money?  How can Chinese people just blow this off with the nonsense "they aren't the same Japanese as in WWII...." when the Japanese CLEARLY mock and exploit the Chinese people?  How can any Chinese person be so naïve and say the Japanese are now our friends?

Chinese forumers, the time has come to stiffen up our spine and do what is right!  It is time to live by principle and apply this to develop small habits.  For it is these small habits that can eventually accumilate into a bigger and bigger trend.  If you can convince just one Chinese person to buy a non-Japanese product instead of a Japanese one (e.g. a German car instead of Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Infinity, Lexus, Acura, Subaru, Isuzu or, Buddha forbid, Mitsubishi) then you have done a good thing.  However, if the Chinese people get too complacent, thinking that Diaoyu is not a big deal, then eventually our people risk being brainwashed into believing that Taiwan is not a big deal.

Remember, small habits will accumalate into principle.

Today a chicken, tomorrow a cow, and the day after all you've got. Chinese people should not blame the current generation Japanese for the crime of their forefathers. But if the current generation Japanese glorified the crimes of their forefathers, then the Chinese people should consider them enemies and deal with them as such. I have always said that the biggest problem is not the Japanese but the Chinese themselves. If the Chinese keep wanting to do business as usual with the Japs then they will be treated with contempt and the Japs will become more and more aggressive thinking that the traitorous Chinese foreign traders will suppress the Chinese people for them.

China can now reduce its trade with Japan and reject Japan's FDI and make up for the lost jobs and investments with increased expansion of the internal economy through urbanization. China's potential internal economy is 10 times as big as the Japanese market. It is foolishness to cater to such a small Japanese market while ignorning China's own much bigger market.

Forum host.

Yes, indeed for the past 15 years or so, I personally refrained from buying anything Japanese.

My reason: Japan was an aggressor in both WWI and WWII. We should not help to make it likely to happen again for a third time.

But if the current generation Japanese glorified the crimes of their forefathers, then the Chinese people should consider them enemies and deal with them as such.

And that is exactly what they are going, glorifying those crimes by visiting the Yakusuni shrine, proudly flying the rising sun flag that was the flag used during Japan's Nazi era, and whitewashing their history books to portray themselves as "liberators" while denying all of their crimes.  On top of that, their policies have continuously demonised China and they officially call China a threat, an enemy.

"On top of that, their policies have continuously demonised China and they officially call China a threat, an enemy."

So how does the CCP responds to this? They increased trade with Japan and sell more Chinese demestic economic assets to the Japs. Does it make sense?

Furthermore, as I've pointed out times and again, China already has a very sound economic base. It is long past time for China to emphasize domestic economic expansion through the urbanization of the farmers using China's own savings and advance China's own high technologies. China can become wealthier faster by increasing the wealth and standard of living of its own people. In fact the CCP is impoverishing the Chinese nation while subsidizing foreign consumers and enriching only the relatively few Chinese engaged in the subsidized export trade.

Therefore, the CCP must implement my 12 guidelines which would make China fully developed within 30 years instead of the 60 to 80 years that the CCP envisions. In fact with the impoverishment of China due to the subsdized exports China would never be able to grow to its fullest potential. It will weaken and collapse like in the Qing Dynasty long before it achieved its fullest potential.


Forum host.

It seems as though Chinese people in China are heeding the call to embargo Japan.  Unfortunately, the Chinese government is not so enthusiastic because CCTV has not been reporting the protests/riots that have taken place in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and even Shanghai.

"It seems as though Chinese people in China are heeding the call to embargo Japan."

This calls to my mind of the 54-movement (May 4th) when the Chinese students led the movement to rid China of the foreign exploitation of China. The movement is significant as it was also directed at the Japanese. However, the difference is that China is now much stronger. In fact, China is stronger than Japan militarily and is bigger than Japan economically overall if not on a per capita basis. For example, the total electric generating power of China is by far more than Japan. And China's overll GDP in the real PPP terms is about twice as much. Therefore, China is able to destroy Japan today while it was not in 1919.

"Unfortunately, the Chinese government is not so enthusiastic because CCTV has not been reporting the protests/riots that have taken place in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and even Shanghai."

As I've pointed out many times, the CCP government is dominated by the foreign traders who want to continue to make more money trading with Japan. In that sense nothing is changed in the last 86 years. The CCP has taken over from the Nationalists. But the same kind of people are still getting rich from their cosy relationship with the Japs while selling out the larger interests of China and the Chinese people.

And as I've pointed out many times, as long as the CCP is being led by the evil WTO dog collar and concentrate on foreign trade while allowing unrestricted FDI, then the Japs will go on buying out more and more of China's economy and the Chinese people can protest and still not change anything.

China must implement my 12-guidelines or come up with something similar of its own. It is already too late but if the CCP act now they could still turn China around. The hope now is that China will only break a leg instead of breaking its economic neck if it continued further on its present course.



Forum host.

I am quite pleased that Hu Jintao's government is showing some more backbone.  There are two sections from this CNN news article ( http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/04/17/china.japan.ap/ ) that I find interesting.  The first part:

BEIJING, China (AP) -- China's foreign minister on Sunday rejected Tokyo's demand for an apology for damage to Japanese diplomatic missions in violent protests, telling his Japanese counterpart that Beijing had never done anything for which it had to apologize to Japan's people.

Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing instead complained that Japan has "hurt the feelings" of Chinese on a series of issues, including relations with rival Taiwan and "the subject of history."

"The Chinese government has never done anything for which it has to apologize to the Japanese people," Li told Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura.

The second part:

Japanese public broadcaster NHK quoted Machimura as saying before his departure that he would tell Beijing that, "It's possible that Japan-China relations as a whole, including on the economic front, could decline to a serious state."

I truly hope Japan carries out this "threat" because the void can easily be filled by companies from the Chinese family (i.e. continental China including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and their ethnic cousins in Korea) and countries that are at least polite to China (e.g. Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Switzerland.)  This should push China to vastly expand R&D to not only replace sectors where Japan and the US are strong (motor vehicles, microelectronics and optics) but also to develop new revolutionary products (i.e. hydrogen fuel, stem cell medical applications.) 

 

"Japanese public broadcaster NHK quoted Machimura as saying before his departure that he would tell Beijing that, "It's possible that Japan-China relations as a whole, including on the economic front, could decline to a serious state."

"I truly hope Japan carries out this "threat" because the void can easily be filled by companies from the Chinese family (i.e. continental China including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and their ethnic cousins in Korea) and countries that are at least polite to China (e.g. Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Switzerland.) This should push China to vastly expand R&D to not only replace sectors where Japan and the US are strong (motor vehicles, microelectronics and optics) but also to develop new revolutionary products (i.e. hydrogen fuel, stem cell medical applications.)"

Absolutely! I've been saying this for years. China has more resources than any country in the world. Especially in terms of human resources of genius level people. China is already increasing the graduate enrollment to some 600,000 and the number is still increasing. If the quality of the graduate schools is enhenced and the smartest genius level students are sought out and put into intensive programs for science and enginnering all the way to the doctorate level and then given generous amounts of funding for R&D, then China would soon have many times more genius level scientists and engineers than Japan and could also outspend Japan in R&D funding. Then it is logical that China will surpass Japan in all technological sectors.

China has alread out-stripped Japan in rocket science. Where Japan is still struggling to send up its first rocket, China is well on its way to consolidating its manned exploration. And China could easily catch up and surpass Japan in all other sectors as well.

And the most important point of all is that China really doesn't need Japan or any other foreigners in terms of trade. China could easily reduce its subsidized exports of cheap stuffs which doesn't do any good to the Chinese people but actually does serious harm by suppressing funding for internal development. And exports should be rapidly shifted over to high tech sectors so as to allow the Chinese workers to increase their productivity which is the only way to lead to higher incomes and standard of living.

I thoroughly agree that reduced subsidized trade in general and with Japan in particular would be a good thing for China in the long term due to the stimulation of its own internal development in science and economy. This is after all the central point of my 12-guidelines. I am just glad to see more Chinese are now beginning to understand what I've been talking about.



Forum host.

Those pictures are vivid illustrations of today's young people in China and that they LOVE China. It is very heartening to see them in action for a righteous cause.

I'm going to refer to this link by Diunei in other forums that I post messages. Liang, pls be forewarned that many more clicks to this link and/or more messages may follow as a result.

Make an influence on the Japanese government: boycott Japanese goods for the next three months

It is said that China has replaced the USA as Japan's #1 trading partner. As such, economically China is now the most important nation to Japan. Without maintaining the existing level of import and export business with China, what could be the adverse impact to Japan, perhaps, a recession for Japan?

Because the Japanese export economy is so heavily dependent on China, we do have the muscles to influence the Japanese government. But, we have to flex our muscles.

How do we flex our muscles? In my opinion, there is no need for emotional violence in demonstrations. Of course, young people get emotional in marches of protest, and emotions turn into actions sometimes. But I believe that quietly boycotting Japanese goods can have a deep impact on Japan's economy and send a fearful message to every Japanese who in turn could influence their government¡¯s hostile policies toward China.

Each and every one of us can quietly reduce buying or completely boycott Japanese goods. Let's us say, as a starter we stop buying anything Japanese for the next three months. This should be an easy thing for all of us. Three months of decreased sales should seriously impact the quarterly financial reports of Japanese companies. They should get a very vivid message: if their government continues with militarism ambitions and anti-China policies, they'll eat dust at the end of the year.

For all of its anti-China bias, I am surprised to see the BBC actually post something objective and critical of Japan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4449005.stm

The row over Japan's past and future

By William Horsley BBC News, Tokyo Japan's decision to approve new school textbooks, criticised by some for glossing over the country's wartime record, have promoted demonstrations in several Chinese cities. But as William Horsley discovers the row between the two countries concerns the future as well as the past. Prime Minister Koizumi's visits to the shrine were criticised by China The most striking thing about the Yasukuni Shrine is its massive and forbidding black "torii" gate. A distinctive symbol of the Shinto religion, a gaunt silhouette beneath which, on a bright spring day, I watched men and women of all ages streaming in to pay their respects to ancestors, or to admire the enchanting display of cherry blossoms on the tree-lined avenue. Each family group would pause, shut their eyes and pray in front of the open-plan wooden building where the souls of two-and-a-half-million Japanese war dead are enshrined. Those war dead include Hideki Tojo, Japan's wartime prime minister who was later hanged with a dozen other top leaders as a war criminal. Japan's present leader, Junichiro Koizumi has made regular visits to Yasukuni Shrine in spite of furious complaints from China, South Korea and other neighbouring countries that in doing so he was condoning Japan's aggressive war in the 1930s and 1940s. And now, the news from China is bad, very bad. Demonstrations Demonstrations over the text-books have extended to South Korea Last weekend an angry crowd gathered in Beijing to throw stones at the Japanese embassy. In other cities young people have attacked Japanese shops and businesses. In Shanghai two Japanese students were badly beaten up in a restaurant. Chinese leaders say Japan will not deserve a permanent seat on the UN Security Council until it faces up honestly to its wartime misdeeds. An e-mail doing the rounds in China calls for a mass boycott of Japanese goods. "Send this on to other Chinese people", the message says, "and we won't need to go to war!" History This stream of invective against the Japanese is not new. Some Asia watchers see it largely as a device by Chinese leaders to extract more Japanese aid or divert attention from their own failings. It is alarmingly reminiscent of the age of the Communist Red Guards. The Yasukuni Shrine remains a potent symbol of how the Japanese, intoxicated by fascism and coerced by military rule, once collectively lost their reason and were fed fantastic myths, of racial superiority and the Emperor's divinity But on this trip to Japan I could not avoid the conclusion that a new mood of nationalism has also begun to take hold in this country which has been publicly devoted to peace and economic prosperity for so long. One sign is the Japanese authorities' approval of several new school history textbooks written by known right-wing scholars. One book which has angered the Chinese failed to make any assessment of the number of Chinese civilians killed in the infamous Rape of Nanjing. The internationally accepted view is that hundreds of thousands died in an orgy of sexual violence and killing by Japanese troops. And Japan's largest national newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, in what I take to be blatant disregard for the known facts, has called on its readers to celebrate, because the new textbooks have cut out all mention of one of the greatest of all the humiliations inflicted by Imperial Japan on its neighbours: the use of large numbers of women in conquered Asian countries as sex slaves for the Japanese army. It was right to set the record straight, I read, because the accusations "had been shown to be untrue". Surely I thought modern Japan could not give in to the poison of such deceit and hypocrisy ever again. The Yasukuni Shrine remains a potent symbol of how the Japanese, intoxicated by fascism and coerced by military rule, once collectively lost their reason and were fed fantastic myths, of racial superiority and the Emperor's divinity. 'Bitter dispute' I had come to see the recently expanded Yasukuni museum of Japanese history. For 100 years Japan has been number one in Asia. Now China, with 10 times Japan's population, is in a hurry to take over that role I found that its 18 galleries of high-quality displays, maps and texts amount to a lavish and expensive re-write of the history of Japan's imperial age, to show the Japanese as innocent victims of a conspiracy by the Western colonial powers, to thwart Japan's ambition to lead East Asia and force Japan into war. By this account annexing Korea, setting up a puppet regime in Manchukuo, the step by step takeover of China, each was done in self-defence, aiming only to bring peace. As for Nanjing, I found no mention of Japanese soldiers killing civilians. Instead, these words: "The Chinese were soundly defeated, suffering heavy casualties. Inside the city, residents were once again able to live their lives in peace." However you look at it, that will not do as a record of what happened. By chance I came across this testimony of a Japanese army veteran who was there. "No matter how young or old, none of the women we rounded up could escape being raped. Each one was allocated to 15 or 20 soldiers for sexual intercourse and abuse." Afterwards "we always stabbed them and killed them. Because dead bodies don't talk." The bitter dispute now raging between Japan and China is both about setting the record straight and about a struggle for power. For 100 years Japan has been number one in Asia. Now China, with 10 times Japan's population, is in a hurry to take over that role. And as with highly-geared racing cars sharing the same circuit, it is the moment of overtaking that brings the greatest risk of a crash.

"For all of its anti-China bias, I am surprised to see the BBC actually post something objective and critical of Japan."

You have to remember that the Brits were bitter enemies of the Japs during the WW2. Remember the "Bridge over River Kwai"? The Brits got knocked every which way by the Jap army from Shanghai to India. And without the help of the Chinese in Burma, the Brits would very probably have lost India. Obviously when it came to Japan and the Brits there is not a whole lot of love lost.





Forum host.

"Those pictures are vivid illustrations of today's young people in China and that they LOVE China. It is very heartening to see them in action for a righteous cause."

It is indeed. While China should never be an agressor without good reason, it must not sit like a coward while others are attacking it. The Chinese people should certainly demand what is just.

"I'm going to refer to this link by Diunei in other forums that I post messages. Liang, pls be forewarned that many more clicks to this link and/or more messages may follow as a result."

The more the merrier. This forum had received thousands of hits a day without any problem.

Forum host.

You cannot hate a people for what they did so many years ago. The people who committed those crimes against China are dead now. You can ask them to tell the truth in their history books, but first of all you should ensure that you are telling the truth in your history books( and newpapers). Need I mention Tibet, Korean War etc

"You cannot hate a people for what they did so many years ago. The people who committed those crimes against China are dead now."

As I said, a people cannot be blamed for the crimes of their forefathers. But if a people glorified the crimes of their forefathers then they should be punished for their own crimes of glorifing the crimes of their forefathers as well as for the crimes of their forefathers. This is the same as punishing someone for giving aid and comfort to some other criminals who had committed some heinous crimes.

"You can ask them to tell the truth in their history books, but first of all you should ensure that you are telling the truth in your history books( and newpapers). Need I mention Tibet, Korean War etc"

The two things are separate. What has Japan's aggression against China to do with China's own internal affairs in Tibet or anywhere else within China's own sovereign territories? China's own internal affairs will be taken care of by China's own citizens and have nothing to do with external aggressons like the Japs. Do you think China has the right to invade Japan if the Japanese streets are not very clean? Or that there are many yakuzas harassing the common Japanese people? Or that the Japanese people have the filthy habit of pissing against any walls in the city?

And lastly, what are you talking about anyway about the Korean War? China kicked the American ass in Korea. Everybody knows that. So what is there to tell?

You are simply throwing in a couple of red herrings to distract the attention of the Chinese people. The main point is still the crimes of the Japs during the WW2 and the current unacceptable criminal behavior of the Japanese people in glorifying the crimes of the Jap invasion armies by whitewashing their criminal history.

Forum host.

This is a pretty good first step from the Japanese PM.  But I don't think it is enough, these words must be followed up by substantial actions similar to those undertaken by Germany, i.e. purge ALL fascist influence from its institutions AND bow down in apology in the same way German chancellor Willie Brandt did.  Above all, Japan must then stop copying USA's belligerent policies by staying out of China's internal affairs vis-à-vis Taiwan AND stop trying to annexe more territories from Korea and China.

********************

http://www.spacewar.com/2005/050422050319.dhd8xoyg.html

Koizumi voices powerful apology for Japan's wartime record

JAKARTA (AFP) Apr 22, 2005
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday voiced a powerful apology for Japan's wartime record, speaking at an Asia-Africa summit.

Japan "squarely" acknowledged the damage and suffering caused by colonial aggression across Asia with "deep remorse", Koizumi told the conference in Jakarta attended by Chinese President Hu Jintao.

"In the past, Japan, through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations," Koizumi said, but gave no mention of China.

"Japan squarely faces these facts of history in a spirit of humility. And with feelings of deep remorse and heartfelt apology always engraved in mind, Japan has resolutely maintained, consistenly since the end of World War II, never turning into a military power but an economic power," he said.

Koizumi, who hoped to meet Hu during the summit, added that his country was guided by the "principle of resolving all matters by peaceful means, without recourse to use of force."

Sino-Japanese relations were at one of their lowest ebbs in decades after three weekends of protests by tens of thousands in China against Japan's approval of a school textbook that critics say glosses over the country's wartime atrocities.

In sometimes-violent anti-Japanese demonstrations, people hurled bottles, eggs and rocks at Japan's diplomatic and business interests in China while calling for the boycott of Japanese products.

Tokyo has demanded Beijing's apology and compensation for damage caused by the protests but China rejected Japan's demands, saying the real issue was Japan's alleged denial of its wartime past.

Koizumi said on Friday a post-war Japan has never resorted to the use of force to settle international disputes and vowed to continue to promote peace and prosperity in the world.

"Japan once again states its resolve to contribute to the peace and prosperity of the world in the future as well, prizing the relationship of trust it enjoys with the nations of the world," he said.

Japan's post-war constitution, written by the United States, not only renounces war but forbids Tokyo from maintaining a military or even threatening the use of force.

However, Japan maintains what it calls a Self-Defense Forces and Koizumi, a staunch ally of US President Gerge W. Bush, dispatched 600 Self-Defense troops on a non-combat mission in southern Iraq.

The deployment which began in December 2003 is Japan's first since World War II in a country where fighting is under way.

But Koizumi has enraged China with his annual visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which venerates 2.5 million war dead including war criminals.

Since taking office in April 2001, the prime minister never missed the annual pilgrimage to the shrine, which draws about five million visitors a year.

Last week Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in India that Japan must face up to its World War II history and win the trust of the people of Asia if it wants to win a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Japan, which joined the UN in 1956 and is the second-biggest donor for the global body after the United States, has launched a joint bid with Brazil, Germany and India to win prestigious permanent seats with veto power.

China supports Brazil, Germany and India over the UN posts, but argues Japan is not eligible until it further atones for its World War II atrocities.

Koizumi was scheduled to meet UN Secretary General Kofi Annan later in Friday to discuss Japan's bid for the permanent seat as well as wide-ranging UN reform.

All rights reserved. © 2005 Agence France-Presse.

"This is a pretty good first step from the Japanese PM. But I don't think it is enough, these words must be followed up by substantial actions similar to those undertaken by Germany, i.e. purge ALL fascist influence from its institutions AND bow down in apology in the same way German chancellor Willie Brandt did. Above all, Japan must then stop copying USA's belligerent policies by staying out of China's internal affairs vis-à­¶is Taiwan AND stop trying to annexe more territories from Korea and China."

China should not accept another "non-apology" like that after the downing of the fighter right over China's own sovereign economic zone. That was a shameful farce and must not be repeated. China must not accept anything less than a full-hearted and genuine apology from the Japanese that should include a national monument in front of the Japanese imperial palace dedicated to the war deaths of China and other Asian countries. Japan should also set the record straight in its textbooks detailing all the heinous atrocities it committed in China and other Asian countries. Japan should also build a national monument in Nanjing as an abject symbol of apology to the Chinese people and especially to the people of Nanjing for the heinous slaughter of hundreds of thousands of people. In the monument, there should be a clear and abject and humble apology to be carved in stone for all future generations of Chinese and Japanese to see. Japan should also pay reparations to all the Chinese who suffered losses by the heinous atrocities of the Jap invading armies. Those whose parents had been forced to either fight or work for the Japs must be allowed to sue for wrongful death or other compensations.

The damages caused by the Japs were so much that there is simply no way that the Japs could ever fully repay. The only way for China to fully take compensation is to blow away half of Japan now with a few dozen well placed nuclear bombs. Then the Japs can start to appreciate what they had done to China.



Forum host.

On other words Liang, what you are proposing for Japan to do is similar to what Germany did to purge the fascist influences from its institutions. 

Like I said, if Koizumi's "apology" statement were to be the first of many concrete steps towards genuinely sincere display of remorse then I would be supportive.  I would still like to be an optimist and believe that more is to come, but I suspect this may not be forthcoming and therefore, the Chinese people will have to take things into their own hands.  For example, on my next trip to China in May, I have absolutely REFUSED to fly with Japan Airlines, even if they offer their tickets for half price.  The travel agent was astonished when I refused a ticket that was nearly $300 cheaper but I told them it was a matter of principle.

As for the reason for pessimism, it looks like the Chinese government is starting to get weak-kneed again.

*********************

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-04/23/content_436720.htm

Any prolonged "dispute in political relations" between China and Japan will inevitably hurt bilateral trade and economic co-operation, Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai has said.

Bo Xilai, Minister of Commerce delivers a speak at a forum in Beijing March 21, 2005. [newsphoto/file]

Bo was also quoted on Friday as saying a boycott of Japanese goods will damage the interests of both China and Japan, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The current state of Sino-Japanese relations, described as "lukewarm on the political front but hot on the economic front," cannot continue indefinitely, he said.

Signs have already emerged that the chill in political links has affected the warmth of economic ties, he added.

For 11 consecutive years up to 2003, Japan was China's top trade partner.

In 2004, the EU and the United States surpassed Japan in terms of bilateral trade volume with China. In terms of investment, the Republic of Korea (ROK) had already made more investment in China than Japan in 2004.

It is regrettable that China and Japan, two close neighbours that are highly complementary in economy, have seen a slowdown in the pace of trade and economic co-operation.

Improvement of Sino-Japanese relations requires joint efforts, Bo said.

"We demand the Japanese side live up to the commitment of squarely facing up to its aggressive history and stop doing things that hurt the feelings of the Chinese people," he added, noting the current chilly political relations between the countries was not what either peoples wanted, and that good economic ties are in the interests of both nations.

Bo believes that all generations of the Chinese leadership have placed high importance on developing good-neighborly, friendly and cooperative relations with Japan.

Root of abnormal ties

"The fundamental reason for the abnormal phenomenon of lukewarm political relations between China and Japan lies in the failure of the Japanese side to correctly deal with historical issues," the Minister of Commerce said.

In recent years, the Japanese leader has insisted on paying visits to the Yasukuni Shrine that honors Class-A World War II criminals. In addition, the Japanese government recently gave the green light to the release of history text books glossing over Japan's aggressive past.

"The Japanese side has caused strong dissatisfaction and indignation among the Chinese people with its comments and activities on a series of important issues, repeatedly hurting the feelings of the Chinese people," Bo added, saying this behaviour was the root of the countries' current disagreement.

In contrast to the lukewarm political relations, the two countries economic relations have always been active. Bo said sharing the consensus of strengthening trade and economic co-operation, both countries cherish the hard-won state of mutually beneficial economic co-operation.

In an era of economic globalization, developing economic and trade co-operation, is in the fundamental interests of both sides.

Bo expressed the hope that all sections of Chinese society would proceed considering the long-term interests of the two peoples and jointly safeguard and actively promote the healthy development of trade and economic co-operation between the two countries.

Noting that some have advocated the boycotting of Japanese goods to express their dissatisfaction."

Bo said he hoped people would display their patriotism in a sensible way and work to push forward economic development as both Chinese and Japanese peoples have benefited from bilateral economic and trade relations.

Calculations show Japanese enterprises in China have employed 9.2 million people, and in 2004 they paid taxes of 49 billion yuan (US$5.9 billion). Japanese businesses account for 9.1 per cent of the total taxes paid by the foreign enterprises in China. Japanese investors also benefited from China's economic development in return, he added.

"We don't expect the economic and trade relations between the two countries to be infringed upon," he said.

Because of the importance of Sino-Japanese economic and trade co-operation, Bo strongly urged the Japanese government to deal with the issue and create a favorable environment for bilateral economic and trade relations.

The Chinese Government, he said, has been committed to building a sound environment for foreign investors and will protect the legal rights of all foreign companies in China.

As a responsible country and an important member of the World Trade Organization, China will continue to open-up, reform and promote trade exchanges with all nations.

"Commodities from all nations will have a just treatment in the Chinese market," Bo said, adding "we hope Japanese businesses will do more to further economic and trade co-operation and promote friendship between the two countries."

"I have absolutely REFUSED to fly with Japan Airlines, even if they offer their tickets for half price. The travel agent was astonished when I refused a ticket that was nearly $300 cheaper but I told them it was a matter of principle."

I think it was an honorable gesture that all patriotic Chinese should emulate. Well done!

"As for the reason for pessimism, it looks like the Chinese government is starting to get weak-kneed again.

"Any prolonged "dispute in political relations" between China and Japan will inevitably hurt bilateral trade and economic co-operation, Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai has said."

It is like I've said repeatedly that if China perceived its economic development is tied to subsidized exports with Japan and also relies on the Japanese FDI, then China would not press for an honorable settlement of the matter against the Japs. Also, like I've said repeatedly, as long as the volume of trade is large, there will be many traitors in the Chinese government who will lobby on behalf of the Japs to force the Chinese government to go easy on the Japs.

As much as China should emphasize urbanization of the farmers for its own merits, it should also be done as an alternative market for China's current exported products. Once China has reduced its reliance on subsidized exports and take little or no FDI from Japan, there would be fewer Chinese traitorous lobbyists for the Japs, then the Chinese government would be much more forceful in dealing with the Japs to settle the score once for all. But until then, the CCP government will do no more than put up a token gesture to cool the Chinese people's righteous angers while the reverse-racists continue to get rich on subsidized trade with the Japs while keeping the vast majority to remain poor.

Forum host.