HONG KONG — While the immediate crisis over Japan's seizure last month of a Chinese fishing vessel that rammed two Japanese coast guard patrol boats has ended with the release of the captain, the repercussions will long be felt.
For one thing, distrust of each other on the part of both governments and peoples, which had begun to fade after Beijing and Tokyo agreed not to rake up old coals concerning history, is again on the rise and is unlikely to subside in the foreseeable future. The history issue, which both Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao had tried to put to rest during their respective Japan visits in 2007 and 2008, lurks just beneath the surface and could re-emerge, given the slightest provocation.
During Hu's visit, Japan and China issued a joint statement recognizing that "the Japan-China relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationships for each of the two countries."