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Tougher China-Japan ties
The East China Sea represented a much tougher challenge than the South China Sea. Since Japan illegally nationalized part of China’s Diaoyu Islands, the maritime and air communication mechanisms between China and Japan, established to prevent civilian and military clashes, had been suspended for some years. In January, both sides conducted the fourth round of consultation on the mechanism. Qian said the two countries had reached a preliminary consensus technically. The formal start of the mechanism would depend on how Japan faced up to its history as well as the territory issue.
“China and Japan have reached a consensus on the air and maritime communications mechanism. It’s not difficult to start the mechanism technically. The most important task is to increase mutual trust. We look forward to the bilateral security dialogue, which has been suspended for three or four years, to be held this month. We hope both sides can achieve breakthroughs on security issues and provide a solid political foundation for the launch of the communication mechanism,” he said.
Opening the army
The Chinese military had received a lot more attention from the international community and the Chinese public. Qian suggested an open day should be established to encourage the Chinese public to learn more about the military. He also suggested the military promptly announce its latest achievements in the research and development of weaponry and equipment to increase its transparency.
“The military should open itself more to the public. An open day is one good way to do this. The military could adjust its training schedules to open on significant holidays, allowing the people to see its equipment and watch its training. Face-to-face contact would help them see for themselves how tax money has contributed to the development of the military. Equipment departments should also promptly introduce their research and development achievements to the public through relevant authorities,” he said.
