The bond between twin cities shouldn't be abused over the desire for economic exchanges. City officials should use the title as a tool for bilateral economic exchanges, but preserve their position over right and wrong on major issues.

Nagoya's mayor Takashi Kawamura's denial of the Nanjing Massacre of 1937 in front of visiting officials from its twin city of Nanjing was a public provocation and intolerable to every Chinese citizen.

This should alert Chinese officials on the need for diplomatic skills when building and maintaining ties with their twin cities in other countries.

Since 1972, Chinese cities have been twinned with 1,817 cities from 129 countries. City-to-city diplomacy has promoted trade and cultural communications.

But all this should be based on mutual respect for history, without hurting people's feelings. Otherwise, how can we talk about friendship?

The Nanjing Massacre is an irrefutable fact that has been widely verified by international military tribunals and communities. After 33 years of friendship as sister cities, the Japanese mayor still challenged the facts, which is sad and terrible. Too soft a response to the challenge is irresponsible toward the future and the people from both cities.

In this case, the Nanjing authorities failed to show proper judgment and plan ahead in dealing with Kawamura, who had made such claims in public several times. Other officials should learn from this and be prepared to act confidently in such situations.

The Beijing News