BEIJING – If the recent tension between China and Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea is any indication, relations between the world’s second and third largest economies will not be smooth for some time to come, despite ever-increasing bilateral trade and investment. That is because both countries’ latest rush to affirm their sovereignty over the islands – called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese – reflects a sense of insecurity and a perception that the other side is taking an aggressive stand, which means that the issue is unlikely to be resolved in the foreseeable future.
发自北京——如果中日两国最近在中国东海受争议岛屿上的紧张态势有任何指示性意义的话，只能说尽管这两个世界第二大和第三大经济体的相互贸易和投资额都不断上升，但双边关系在未来一段时间内都难有和谐。这是因为两国近期争相对这些岛屿——日本称尖阁列岛而中国称为钓鱼岛——宣示主权的行为都反映出一种缺乏安全感的心态以及认定对方正在采取侵略性立场的观念，而这意味着该事件在可见的未来都将难以得到解决。