（社説）日中関係 この機運を生かしたい

April 21, 2014
EDITORIAL: Don’t miss the window of opportunity opening for Japan-China thaw
（社説）日中関係　この機運を生かしたい

There have been some tentative signs of a thaw in the frosty relationship between Japan and China.
　凍りついていた日中関係に、やっと改善に向けた兆しが出てきた。
Japan and China are at loggerheads over a slew of thorny issues both in the past and at present. That’s exactly why it is so important for the two countries to repair their ties so that they can have a normal diplomatic dialogue.
両国間には過去と現在にまたがる多くの難問が横たわるが、だからこそ、ふつうに対話できる関係を作り直したい。

Some notable exchanges have taken place recently between the two countries.
　このところ注目すべき交流が続いている。

It has been revealed that Hu Deping, a Chinese pro-Japan advocate with close ties to President Xi Jinping, secretly met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo earlier this month.
　習近平（シーチンピン）国家主席と近い関係にある胡徳平氏が来日し、今月上旬、安倍首相と面会していたことが明らかになった。

Yohei Kono, the former Lower House speaker, met with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang on April 15 in Beijing. During the meeting, Wang criticized Abe but nevertheless said, “We hope the Japanese business community will make efforts to overcome the difficulties (in the bilateral relationship) and contribute to improving the relationship.”
　元衆院議長の河野洋平氏が北京で会談した汪洋（ワンヤン）副首相は、安倍首相を批判する一方、「日本の経済界が困難克服のため努力し、関係改善に貢献することを望んでいる」と発言した。

In addition, Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe will visit Beijing from April 24 to 26. It is the first time in as many as 18 years that the chief of the Tokyo metropolitan government has been formally invited to visit Beijing, which has a friendship city agreement with the Japanese capital. China’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement welcoming Masuzoe’s visit.
　今月２４日からは舛添要一・東京都知事が友好都市関係にある北京を訪れる。北京市からの招待は実に１８年ぶりだ。中国外務省も歓迎の談話を出した。

The two countries, which are such close neighbors, should not remain estranged as they are now. If both sides are seeking to figure out a way to mend ties, that’s good news.
　隣国同士、このまま疎遠でいいはずがない。なんとか改善の道はないか。そんな意思が双方に働いているとすれば、好ましい進展だ。

Some efforts were also made to improve the situation last year.
　昨年も事態打開への努力はあった。

Even after China made a provocative move to suddenly establish an air defense identification zone in areas over the East China Sea including the disputed Senkaku Islands, diplomats from Tokyo and Beijing continued their exchanges to turn around bilateral ties.
１１月に中国国防省が東シナ海域で突然、防空識別圏を敷く挑発行動に出た後も、外交当局者間の往来は続いた。

But Abe’s visit to Yasukuni Shrine the following month caused bilateral exchanges to come to a halt.
だが、安倍首相による年末の靖国神社参拝で交流は途絶えた。

The Xi administration, which has been ratcheting up criticism of Japan over history-related issues, is unwilling to make an overt move to seek reconciliation with Tokyo unless Abe makes a concession.
　歴史問題で非難を強めてきた習政権は、安倍首相が譲歩しない限り、公然と和解に動くような体裁はとりたくない。

Beijing has probably decided to limit its efforts to patch up the ties to economic and private-sector exchanges while taking a wait-and-see approach toward Abe.
まずは経済と民間の交流に力を入れ、安倍氏の出方は慎重に見極めよう、ということなのだろう。

But issues concerning views about history are not the only obstacles to improvement of the bilateral relations.
　ただ、日中の間にある障害は歴史認識だけではない。

For many years, China has been dangerously expanding its military capacity in its efforts to enhance its influence in surrounding areas. China’s aggressive military buildup and increasingly assertive behavior have created tension in neighboring areas including Japan.
むしろ中国が危うい軍拡を長年続け、周辺域での影響力拡大を図っていることが、日本を含む近隣に緊張をもたらしている。

Dialogue between the defense officials of both countries is necessary for preventing unnecessary clashes.
　無用な衝突を防ぐためにも、防衛当局間の対話が必要だ。

The establishment of a system to ensure safety in actions in the sky and the sea taken by the two countries in states of alert would help improve the security environment in the region.
空や海での警戒行動をめぐる安全確保のメカニズムをつくれば、地域の安保環境に役立つ。

On the economic front, Japan and China have a strong complementary relationship. China still needs Japanese technologies, while Japan needs China’s market and labor.
　一方、経済面では日中は相互補完関係が強い。今も中国は日本の技術を求め、日本は中国の市場と労働力を必要とする。

Tokyo and Beijing should start talks to enhance their bilateral economic relations including efforts to accelerate the negotiations for a three-way free trade agreement among Japan, China and South Korea.
　日中韓で構想されている自由貿易協定交渉の加速を含め、経済関係強化をめざした議論を政府間で進めるべきだ。

Concerns about China’s rapidly growing military power are widely shared by Pacific Rim countries.
　軍事大国化する中国への懸念は、今や環太平洋諸国が共有している。

But many countries in the region, including the United States, have been maintaining relations with China based on active bilateral talks on various issues instead of cutting off dialogue between the leaders.
それでも、米国はじめ各国は首脳同士の対話を絶やすような選択はせず、むしろ活発に主張をぶつけ合う関係を維持している。

Japan and China once agreed to promote mutually beneficial strategic relations between them. That means both sides should try to find a way to promote coexistence and co-prosperity even if there are serious disputes and disagreements.
　対立を抱えていても、共存共栄を図る。それがかつて日中で合意した「戦略的互恵関係」の意味するところではないか。

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 20