Japan's actions jeopardize ties with China, report says

Japan's anxiety, suspicion and fear over China's rise will influence the future development of Sino-Japanese relations, according to scholars of Fudan University in Shanghai in a report released on Friday.

According to the report, in the foreseeable future, the possibility of improving Sino-Japanese relations is slim.

More efforts should be made to prevent the deterioration of the relationship, including continually supporting and encouraging civil interaction as well as economic and financial exchanges, the report said.

The report, The Current Situation and Future Trend of the Sino-Japan Relationship, was co-written by university scholars with different fields of expertise, including politics, international relations, diplomacy, history and media.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet sees China as a threat and attempts to contain China in every aspect, but this is unwise, said the report.

"China has never seen Japan as a strategic enemy. China's military strategy is defensive and it strives for peaceful and win-win development with neighboring countries," the report said.

There is much speculation on whether there will be a meeting between the leaders of the two countries at the APEC Economic Leaders' Summit in Beijing in November. President Xi Jinping and Abe have not talked face to face since taking office.

"It is very possible that they will meet but not have an official talk. Japan refuses the slightest compromise on matters of principle," said an expert cited in the report who asked not to be named. "As long as there is no substantial progress on bilateral ties, there will not be talk."

In September 2012, the Japanese government "nationalized" China's Diaoyu Islands, changing the four-decade status quo of the dispute and letting the territorial issue develop.

In the long run, the mutual benefits between China and Japan are more economic, said Zhang Haochuan, deputy director of the Japan research center at Fudan University and a contributor to the report.

wuni@chinadaily.com.cn