For China's autocrats, history is a weapon. This past weekend, for example, a Chinese general told Southeast Asian nations that their territorial claims in the South China Sea were irrelevant because "China has had indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea for around 2,000 years," reported the state-owned CCTV network. Don't like it? Then learn to "respect history" as China's Defense Minister told his Vietnamese counterpart in late May, after Vietnamese protesters turned violent in response to Chinese incursions into what Vietnam considers its territory. In this context, history is the rhetorical equivalent of a dismissive wave of a hand that brings an end to a pointless conversation.
In China's ongoing dispute with Japan over territory and the right to be respected as Asia's dominant power, history is used more as a cudgel. Japanese leaders themselves have handed Beijing the weapon, with their highly provocative visits to Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead (including 14 Class-A war criminals), as well as their determined efforts to finesse Japan's wartime conduct in school textbooks. For Chinese officials, these acts are affronts, as well as opportunities to lower Japan's standing in the international community.
"Respect history" has become China's most cited refrain when addressing Japan. Take, for example, an October 2013 statement from a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, warning of severe consequences if Japanese leaders visited Yasukuni: "We once again urge the Japanese side to respect history as well as reality, reflect on its history of invasion, respect the feeling of Chinese people and other victims in Asia, and properly handle the issue."