China-Japan ties: History offers more than pain

• Source: Global Times
• [02:01 November 13 2009]
• Comments

By proposing the idea of an Eastern Asian Community (EAC), the Japanese government has expressed its intent to prioritize its Asian neighbors, including China, in its policymaking process.

But as the traditional Chinese wisdom goes, "History is a mirror," and how far nations can go in the future hinges on the way they look at the past. Glorifying Japanese militarism and distorting history is always dangerous and strongly condemned.

It is real trust and mutual understanding between the two peoples that can push the EAC forward.

Should the EAC merely turn out to be an expedient measure to pull Japan's economy out of its slump, it will not gain wide support among the people of its Asian neighbors.

A mutually beneficial China-Japan relationship, based on lasting and sincere friendship, as shown in the war orphan cases, is in the fundamental interest of the two peoples, and is crucial to Asia and the world.

History has more to offer us than just painful memories.

Since being neighbors is their "doomed destiny," China and Japan can choose to be good neighbors and move on toward a future with sustainable prosperity.