Chinese and Japanese Relations

Chinese and Japanese Relations

            The Chinese and Japanese relationship is largely an issue due to contrasting ideals and cultures. Both countries are different in their traditions, language, and the way of governing their people. Many individuals from the two sides as well as people from all around the world need to understand a critical point. The Chinese and Japanese have been biting at each other’s legs from the ancient times and are still hostile towards each other. As we all know, when the Chinese and the Japanese become more comfortable cooperating with each other, the whole world benefits much more. War and conflicts will only lead to more violence and hold more grudges. A set of measures must be taken into action in order to grant a prolonged stability and peace to the region. What are these set of measures that can resolve the problems between the two countries? The answer is to encourage a more mutual agreement between the two sides. The main resolution to this struggle is to encourage more communication between the two countries and to solve problems harmoniously. This can be achieved by the incorporation of a mediator that would help both sides to negotiate mutually beneficial outcomes.

            The Chinese and Japanese relations have been unsteady since ancient times. It is believed that the Japanese inhabiting the island of Japan were actually the descent of Chinese people as a result of early migration. The Chinese and Japanese fought the first Sino-Japanese war in the year 1894. Both countries wanted to have a privileged friendship and peace with the Korean state. Tensions rose and as a result war were inevitable due to poor cooperation and understanding of each other. The conclusion of the conflict ended where the Chinese had to hand over Taiwan to Japanese rule and the Japanese in turn had to pay large sums of money to China.

As if this was not enough, the two countries have yet again engaged in conflict during the period of WW2. In 1931, the Japanese Kwantung Army invaded Manchuria which was a region of Northeast China. This sparked a total conflict between the two nations as well as the involvement of other Allied countries to push back the greedy Japanese superpower. Japanese brutality was evident when the Japanese held parts of China under their control. The most popular being the rape of Nanking. The Japanese exploited the Chinese people and murdered them unmercifully. “Based on estimates made by historians and charity organizations in the city at the time, between 250,000 and 300,000 people were killed, many of them women and children. The number of women raped was said by Westerners who were there to be 20,000, and there were widespread accounts of civilians being hacked to death” (Scarred). Not only were the Japanese cruel and brutal, but China certainly has its negatives as well.