by Xinhua writer Wu Liming
BEIJING, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Japan is reportedly scheming to fire "warning shots" if it encounters China's surveillance plane over the Diaoyu Islands. Such a provocative move is dangerous and irresponsible, and will definitely heighten the tension over the Diaoyu Islands issue and tip Sino-Japanese relations into a disastrous abyss.
It is the latest provocation by the the newly installed Shinzo Abe administration to test the response as well as the tolerance of China and of the broader international community.
Over the Diaoyu Islands issue, Japan has already made a mistake by attempting to challenge the international order established after the WWII. Now by talking about "warning shots," it slipped further into the wrong direction.
There were other steps taken by the Abe administration that have severely damaged the mutual trust between Japan and China.
For example, it has advocated for the revocation of two official statements issued in the 1990s, which conveyed apologies to victims of Japan's wartime atrocities.
The Kono Statement, which acknowledged the Japanese Imperial Army's role in forcing thousands of captured women into sex slavery, and the Murayama Danwa, a broader apology issued by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama over war atrocities, have long been considered rare examples of Tokyo's self-reflection.
Japan also has repeatedly taken provocative actions against Chinese surveillance ships and planes around and over the Diaoyu Islands. And Japan's Deputy Prime Minister, Taro Aso, in a high-profile trip to Myanmar, paid tribute to Japan's fallen soldiers buried there during WWII, in total disregard of the feelings of people that had suffered bitterly under the Japanese aggression.
More importantly, Tokyo intends to revise post-war international arrangements and upgrade its Self Defense Force into a full military force, starting with a planned increase in its defense budget in fiscal 2013, the first time in 11 years.
A more hawkish and reckless Japan has agitated the rest of the world and its neighbors in particular.
The Chinese are a peace-loving people and the Chinese government has, as always, pursued a good-neighborly foreign policy.
The Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islets are China's inherent territory. Tokyo should not underestimate the determination of the Chinese government and people to safeguard their territorial sovereignty.
The Japanese side needs to realize the gravity of the current situation, rein in as it approaches the brink of the precipice, stop all provocations and adopt a responsible attitude in a bid to bring bilateral ties back on the right track.
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