The emergence of China as an economic superpower

Forget poisonous dumplings, Diaoyu islands or even fictional textbooks on the Nanjing massacre; Sino-Japanese relations is here to stay. Or is it? Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawai seems to think so, in his remarks to the First Session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on Tuesday. Maybe he really means it, for China's trade with Japan is of greater importance than with the EU, therefore a 'new beginning' would signify renewed importance. Yet I personally think that China's intension is more superficial, maybe simply paving the way for Hu Jintao's visit to Japan later this spring, an unparalleled move in nearly a decade. "The visit will have a positive and deep impact on the long-term development of bilateral relations," said Wu. So far, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda's visit to China last December has eased tension between the two sides. But that doesn't mean both sides are warming up to each other. China will not forget Nanjing and Japan will not rewrite textbooks. China will not apologize for its sub-standard products and Japan will not tolerate killer dumplings from Hubei. Who knows what the future will hold? In the short run, though, things aren't likely to change soon between the two giants of Asia.