Update: Armistice in the China – Japan Schoolyard Row?

Yesterday, China and Japan elevated their schoolyard row to a high-stakes political chess game as their respective leaders met on neutral territory to solicit pawns for their cause. But before Chinese President Hu Jintao had a chance to make his first move on this world stage, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi check-mated him by making a long overdue public apology for Japan’s wartime aggression that, ostensibly, gave rise to this row.

Therefore, when they finally met, all President Hu could do was execute a political feint by accepting the apology, diplomatically, while telegraphing lingering concerns over Japan’s undeclared intentions to dominate Asia – this time by political instead of military aggression.

Indeed, informed observers of this clash of Asian titans never thought their row was about text books and World War II. Because Japan’s lobbying efforts to win a seat on the politically influential United Nations Security Council always loomed as real causa belli for China’s protests.

Therefore, it remains to be seen what orders President Hu will now issue to his standing army of protesters in light of Prime Minister Koizumi’s deftly quelling apology. And, whether Japan’s curiously timed counter protests (yesterday also) will upset Hu and Koizumi’s chess board.

But this schoolyard row raises questions of far greater significance: For example:

Will China risk the phenomenal pace of it’s economic development by prolonging this tit for tat row with Japan?

Is China as determined to prevent Japan from getting a seat on the UN Security Council as it is to prevent Taiwan from becoming independent; and, will it make the military option a matter of national law in this case as well?

Indeed, will China’s continual threats of military confrontation with it’s neighbors eventually spook foreign investors who are so indispensable to it’s growth and jeopardize China’s manifest destiny to rival or surpass America as a world superpower?

Stay tuned…

Click here to read more on the background and potential consequences of this row.

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