Saturday, April 16, 2005
Surprise, Surprise
The New York Times reports that China is now trying to reign in the anti-Japanese protests after damage was done to one Japanese consulate and Japanese visitors were attacked. The funny thing about nationalism is that this genie is loath to go back into the bottle. Beijing is trying to cope with a monster of its own making - having tried to used the protests as a weapon against Japan in disputes over territorial waters and natural resources.
It will be interesting to see how this plays in India. Wen Jiabao's visit to India seemed designed to split the two aspirants to permanent seats on the Security Council - he spoke in favor of an Indian seat, but not one for Japan. India and Japan do have a recent history of defense cooperation, one which may be reenergized if China moves too quickly into the Indian Ocean. Together, along with Taiwan, the two powers pose a significant challenge to China's regional aspirations.
It will be interesting to see how this plays in India. Wen Jiabao's visit to India seemed designed to split the two aspirants to permanent seats on the Security Council - he spoke in favor of an Indian seat, but not one for Japan. India and Japan do have a recent history of defense cooperation, one which may be reenergized if China moves too quickly into the Indian Ocean. Together, along with Taiwan, the two powers pose a significant challenge to China's regional aspirations.
