Time to pull back [By Jiao Haiyang/China.org.cn]

It was fleetingly mentioned by some as a sort of chronological coincidence, but the 81st anniversary of the Japanese invasion of Northeast China, the incipit of the Second Sino-Japanese War, is far from your average curiosity. The wounds of that war are still wide open and its unresolved legacy continues to cast a long shadow over the troubled relations between China and Japan, whose recent Diaoyu Islands dispute has come under the international spotlight. It is fairly common for modern journalism to ignore, if not altogether distort, historical records and rush to pass a verdict purely based on economic interests. A tiny archipelago of uninhabited rocks could not possibly spark such heated debate, yet a surrounding area rich of oil, gas and mineral deposits is more likely to do so.

In a recent article for the Daily Telegraph, Martin Jacques points out to readers that "China suggested to jointly explore and develop the seabed surrounding the islands while postponing the issue of sovereignty until some later point in the future." His article continues by adding that "this offer has previously been rejected by Japan," leaving little to no space for any meaningful solution.

We also have to bear in mind that a considerable amount of historical resentment adds up to the dispute's political dimension. The emotional stakes over these scattered rocks are extremely high; the contended history behind them lays bitterly unresolved. The massive psychological subtext that the rivers of ink being poured over the ongoing standoff have completely glossed over is of crucial importance if we are to understand the reasons behind such deep-seeded animosity.

Some historical facts: The contested islands were Chinese for a very long time before falling into the hands of the Japanese army (along with Taiwan) during the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) which saw Japan's particularly brutal expansion into East Asia. Even the neoliberal Pravda recently admitted, in an article featured in The Economist, that "whatever the legality of Japan's claim to the islands, its roots lay in brutal empire-building." The tragic peak of this so-called empire-building phase in Japan's recent history, is exemplified by the Nanjing Massacre that witnessed the loss of nearly 300,000 (civilian) Chinese lives and in fact still represents a rancorous landmark in the marred relations between the two countries.

The reason for these spiteful feelings to still linger on after more than seven decades, lies partly in the fact that Japan has failed to convincingly apologize for its past actions, unlike Germany for example did regarding its conduct during the Second World War. Not only has Japan never convinced China of being truly sorry for the brutalities committed by its Imperial Army, but the numbers of victims of the Nanjing Massacre has also been a subject of controversy for right-wing liberal Japanese MPs in 2007.

Considering all the aforementioned, it is not surprising that tensions can run so high between the second and third largest economies in the world.

When two economic colossuses clash, the third one gets worried. Ms Hilary Clinton did in fact approach the Chinese foreign minister last week at the UN general assembly, as did Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu by politely urging him to engage in a peaceful dialogue with Japan. Officials told reporters: "We believe that Japan and China have the resources, the restraint and the ability to work on this directly and take tensions down. That is our message to both sides."

The soft and reconciling tone coming from the American administration is a noticeable one, especially at a time when decidedly more aggressive terms are being used to address other nations (such as Iran). Aside from exposing the American double-standard, this also goes to show how crucial this apparently nationalistic dispute actually is on a global level.

A few years ago the American government would not have hesitated to side with Japan and raise a less diplomatic tone of voice with China, but times have indeed changed. Whatever the outcome of this unfolding diplomatic row maybe, the major power shifts taking place on the global stage are set to continue.

Giovanni Vimercati is a freelance film critic, founder of the Celluloid Liberation Front and critical analyst of world politics. @CLF_Project