During the ongoing World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, experts in international relations shared their views on the two countries embroiled in a territorial dispute involving the Senkaku Islands, which the Chinese refer to as Diaoyu. Refreshingly, there is a sense of hopefulness and positivity among these people, who agree that having new leaders in Japan and in China could spell a good thing for both.
Yoichi Funabashi, chairman of the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation, said that he has a sense of cautious optimism in the leadership succession of either nation because “there is a chance for the political leaders to change the mode and the mood of tension in the region.” He notes that the act of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in sending a personal letter to Chinese leader Xi Jinping is a positive step towards easing the tension between the two countries.
A similar sentiment is echoed by Tsinghua University’s Institute of International Studies director Yan Xuetong. He believes that with the Liberal Democratic Party, Abe’s political party, almost sure to gain majority seats in the upper house election, Abe can now consolidate his political base. As a result, the anxiety that revolves around the issue of the Senkakus could very well ease. We can only hope that these people are soothsayers and that their visions are accurate. Otherwise, we just might witness two super power countries at war, as other experts have previously said.
[via China Daily]