Global Times holds seminar on Diaoyu as spat escalates

By Bai Tiantian Source:Global Times Published: 2012-8-20 1:35:03

Disputes over the Diaoyu Islands can be solved to Beijing's advantage only when China becomes a real world power, "economically and politically,"  scholars and diplomats agreed Sunday at a seminar on the Diaoyu Islands on Sunday amid a new round of conflicts between the two countries.

"If we want Japan to show restraint on the Diaoyu issue, we'll have to change the balance of power between the two countries," said Chu Shulong, deputy director of the Institute of International Strategic and Development Studies at Tsinghua University. He added that few Japanese like Americans, but they still respect the US, because it is powerful.

His point was echoed by Ma Zhengang, an ex-ambassador and a foreign policy adviser to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who said the most important mission for China at the current stage is to develop its national strength, "both economically and politically."

Some 20 speakers, including activists, diplomats, scholars of history, law and military studies from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Macao, expressed their opinions at the meeting hosted by the Global Times.

The points of view varied, and included tough stances from military representatives who called for tit-for-tat countermeasures such as arresting Japanese nationals on the Diaoyu Islands, to legal advice aimed at smashing Japanese theories that occupying land for long enough means actual ownership.

Luo Yuan, deputy secretary-general of the China Society of Military Science, said that the nation could no longer avoid the Diaoyu issue. He even suggested naming China's first aircraft carrier Diaoyu in order to demonstrate Chinese sovereignty over the islands.

Former diplomat Ma Zhengang held a more reserved view. He said that China should consider the overall situation in Asia and the world, as a major conflict with Japan over the Diaoyu will also hurt China's interests.

Chen I-hsin, an American studies professor from Tamkang University in Taiwan, said that the Chinese government should handle the Diaoyu issue with flexibility, taking into account the international environment, resolve and military prowess.

Li Yiqiang, president of the World Chinese Alliance in Defense of the Diaoyu Islands (WCADDI), said the WCADDI is preparing to sue the Japanese government for illegally arresting 14 people and infringing upon their human rights.

Related Report:

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Diaoyu puzzle lacks clear answers

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Posted in: Diplomacy

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