Action is more important than promise: Comment

Can there be a favorable turn in Sino-Japanese relationship, which is facing a difficult situation? Chinese President Hu Jintao's meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia on April 23, became one of the focal points of world opinion, people expect that the meeting could produce positive influence on improving and developing Sino-Japanese relations.

"Action" is the term used in the highest frequency in related reports about the meeting. Public opinion holds that Hu Jintao's hope that the Japanese side could improve and develop Sino-Japanese relations with its actual deeds represents the Chinese leader's new words concerning Chinese-Japanese ties. Of the five-point proposal on developing China-Japan relations put forward by Hu Jintao, three points touch upon the term "action" or "actual deed", the five-point proposal was set forth in a sincere and pragmatic way and is constructive and operational.

As public opinion puts it that there is new meaning in what the Chinese and Japanese leaders emphasized that Sino-Japanese relations is closely related to the general situation of maintaining stability and development in Asia. President Hu pointed out, "Both China and Japan are countries of important influence in Asia and the whole world, mishandling of bilateral relations is not only disadvantageous to China and Japan, but will also affect the stability and development in the region of Asia." The talks given by Asian countries' senior officials attending the Asian-African Summit in Jakarta have also testified to this point. Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon said that the maintenance of friendly relations between China and Japan is very important to this region. Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said that a tense situation in this region is a matter worth attention, especially when the matter involves the two countries of China and Japan, because they are important partners of many Asian countries.

The Chinese leader's proposal emphasizes both the consistent principle of the Chinese government and his attention paid to people's interests. Fifty years ago, on April 18, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and head of the Japanese delegation Takasaki Tatsunosuke attending the Asian-African Conference held secret talks, which were the first talks held between Chinese and Japanese government leaders after WWII, thus laying a foundation for the development of Sino-Japanese relations. In his meeting with Koizumi, Hu Jintao said that the Chinese government has always attached importance to Sino-Japanese relations. Improper handling of Sino-Japanese relations not only means failing to live up to the long-term hard work done by leaders of the older generations and farsighted personages of the two countries, it will also harm the fundamental interests of the peoples of the two countries, people of the two countries will not agree to this. Further consolidating and developing Sino-Japanese friendly cooperation is the common expectations of the two peoples.

The Chinese leader dares to face the difficult situation appeared in Sino-Japanese relations, he conscientiously analyzed the reason for the formation of the difficult situation and actively put forward ways for solving the difficulty. Hu Jintao pointed out that recently the practices of the Japanese side on the question of history and the Taiwan issue break its promises and deviate from the political foundation of Sino-Japanese relations and hurt the feelings of the peoples of China and other related Asian countries, so such practices are bound to arouse the dissatisfaction of the Chinese people and the people of other related Asian countries. Therefore, the strong reaction of the people of China and some other related Asian countries deserves the Japanese side to give it deep thought.

After Koizumi expressed his self-examination and apology in his speech given at the Asian-African Summit for Japan's acts of aggression against Asian countries during WWII, Prime Minister Lee Hang Don of the Republic of Korea indicted that Japanese "repentance" must be sincere and must be put into practice. Director-General of Japan's Democratic Party Kawabata Tatsuo expressed the opinion that it is meaningless to quote the remarks of Murayama Tomichi, Japan should take actions that can win Asia's trust. During the meeting between Chinese and Japanese leaders, Koizumi indicated that the Japanese side was willing to actively push forward Japan-China friendly and cooperative relations in the spirit of President Hu Jintao's five-point proposal. What is worth stressing here is that to lift Sino-Japanese relations out of the difficult position is not determined by what promises the Japanese side makes, but by what action it is to take.

Carried on Page 3 of People's Daily on April 25, this commentary is translated by People's Daily Online