Japan's recent distortion of its wartime history in new textbooks and its bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council have sparked public protests and demonstrations in major Chinese cities, including Shanghai. While urging Japan to face history squarely, Chinese media have lately run articles calling for restraint in expressing patriotism and stressing the importance of good bilateral ties.

Abiding by laws

An article by Ding Gang in the People's Daily calls on the public to abide by laws when expressing their indignation towards Japan's distortion of history.

Patriotic expression is fully understandable at a time when the public feel China's national dignity and feelings are hurt. While passion dominates, it is also important that the public should not go beyond the boundary of the law when voicing their indignation. In fact, resorting to illegal actions will not help in revealing the truth about the Japanese right-wingers, but rather will leave a subject for criticism and even hurt those Japanese who want to be friendly with the Chinese.

Future enhanced Sino-Japanese economic ties are inevitable. Therefore, peaceful co-existence and mutually-beneficial co-operation are the correct choice that conforms to the fundamental interests of both peoples.

Citing the trust-building between the French and the German people - a result of the German Government's repentance, European integration and bilateral political, economic, cultural, people-to-people exchanges - the article encourages wider exchanges between China and Japan.

It is no easy task to view Sino-Japanese ties cool-headedly against the backdrop of a surge in rightist view in Japan, and thus now comes a test of China's spiritual power. A stronger China should not only build up its economy, but also reflect its mightier spiritual power. And such a responsibility does not lie solely on the government, but every one of us.

Trade ties important

An article by Lu Ning in the Oriental Morning Post stresses the importance of maintaining stable and progressing Sino-Japanese economic and trade ties.

Statistics indicate that trade volume between Shanghai and Japan registered a record high of US$28.5 billion last year. Japan is also one of Shanghai's largest investors with more than 5,000 projects and a total contractual capital influx of more than US$10 billion.

The development of normal economic and trade ties hinges on a stable social environment. Any emotional or even illegal actions could be harmful to Shanghai, which still needs to further enhance its economic co-operation and trade with other countries.

The Sino-Japanese economic and trade ties today are mutually complementary in such areas as the market, technology, capital and commodity structure. If the two nations maintain friendly ties, both will benefit. Neither the proposal raised by some people to boycott Japanese products nor the few occurrences where Japanese enterprises and shops' normal function was interrupted will help. Today, products made in China and Japan have found their ways into the households of the other country, and many of the products labelled "made in Japan" are produced by Japanese-funded enterprises in China.