Much Hangs on How China Responds to Abe’s WWII Stance

The Nation (Thailand, off The Straits Times)

11 May 2015

Sino-Japanese relations are in a better shape now. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have met twice in six months. Political and security dialogue between high-level officials has also resumed.

It is a marked improvement after two years of turbulence since simmering tensions over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea flared up from late 2012.

But fears are rising that the fragile truce could be short-lived and could end come August 15, if China is not pleased with a statement that Abe is to make on his country’s role in World War II that ended 70 years ago.

… “For China, Abe’s choice of words is a serious indicator of his attitude on the historical issue. If Abe expresses only remorse and not an apology, China will regard it as a signal that Abe is planning to revise the historical issue,” said Singapore-based analyst Li Mingjiang of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

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Last updated on 18/11/2015