CHINA, NATIONAL NEWS, ANALYSIS: To Buy Japanese or Not to Buy Japanese…?
By Sun Meng
The repeated revision of history textbooks, along with the succession of Junichiro Koizumi's public prayers at the Yasukuni Shrine, have launched a wave of anti-Japan fervor among Chinese people. In the process, "resistance of Japanese goods" emerged as the most popular form of protest. "Say no to Japanese goods is where patriotism begins," someone said on the net. But the question is, is this "no" so easy to say?
There is an interesting phenomenon here: as the outcry to "resist Japanese goods" is gaining in volume, the train of economic cooperation between the countries seems to be gaining even more speed.
Last year, China surpassed the US in becoming the largest trading partner of Japan, and Japan, in turn, has remained the largest trading partner of China for the past three years. The two countries' economies have integrated into a unity: inexpensive "made-in-China" goods satisfy Japanese consumers, and precise Japanese-made facilities equip Chinese manufacturers.
Yet what's more interesting is this: not all who vow to resist Japanese goods bear as simple a sentiment as their outcries sound. In fact, most of them don't. They feel torn between their hatred for the Japanese government's denial of history and their appreciation of Japanese products.
Even on the net where people get radical, not all who are against Japan are for the resistance of Japanese products. "I have a made-in-Japan washing machine which has worked for over 20 years and looks good for another 20. But that does not reduce my resentment for the Japanese invaders," a guest confessed on the BBS at CCTV.com.
"Resisting Japanese goods is what we've been doing since the mid 1980s," the commenter continued. "But now, the picture is changing. As a component of the world economy, China has to integrate into this economic chain. And so it is the case with China and Japan. Neither can afford to leave each other."
So here we are in a dilemma as simple and as hard as this: we've got a neighbor who hit us but wants to deny how hard he hit us, whom we dislike, but with whom we benefit greatly in trade, and whom also benefits greatly from trading with us. Is it worthwhile to voice our protest at the cost of profits lost? Will it even work? Are there any other ways to get our message across?
Proponents of the resistance campaign say "yes" to the first two questions and "no" to the last. One of the initiators of the campaign claimed that over 80% of Chinese worldwide consume Japanese motorcars and electronics. If every Chinese around the globe ceased buying Japanese products, Japan would lose 100 to 140 billion dollars (US) per year.
Some come up with even more precise calculations: Japan is highly dependent on the Chinese market. If all Chinese stopped buying Japanese products for one month, thousands of Japanese enterprises would face bankruptcy; do it for six months, and half of the Japanese population would go unemployed; continue for one year, and the Japanese economy would collapse...
It certainly looks scary. The point is, Japan and China's economies are highly interdependent. The process of resisting Japanese products is bound to be accompanied by losses for China as well. The most direct result might be reciprocal activity from Japan, and our agricultural exports would be the greatest victim.
Moreover, a campaign inspired by national sentiment, if handled improperly, can easily go over board and cause interior splitting among citizens. For instance, one who takes a less radical position might be condemned as a traitor.
Furthermore, it is virtually impossible to completely block out Japanese goods, because products of other countries, including China, invariably contain Japanese-made components. For instance, many national TV manufacturers are using kinescopes from Japan (Konka uses Toshiba kinescopes); some of the steel bars in the apartment we live in might come from Japan as well. The fine line between Japanese goods and national ones is more and more blurred, and it is getting harder and harder to aim protest arrows at exclusively Japanese goods.
"Don’t let politics interfere with economics," some advocates say. But, if the economy really has nothing to do with politics, how can they account for the fact that more than a few Japanese companies like Mitsubishi and Asashi contributed heavily to the political right wing in Japan?
Refuse Japanese goods, and surely Japan will suffer, but us, too; buy Japanese, then how can we make our protests strong if we have only WORDS?
All in all, resisting Japanese goods is a question we ought to respond to sensibly and intelligently. If it's to be, the campaign should be launched and reinforced responsibly, always within the bounds of public rationalism, because only with this can we reach the goals of self-protection and maximizing national interests.
The repeated revision of history textbooks, along with the succession of Junichiro Koizumi's public prayers at the Yasukuni Shrine, have launched a wave of anti-Japan fervor among Chinese people. In the process, "resistance of Japanese goods" emerged as the most popular form of protest. "Say no to Japanese goods is where patriotism begins," someone said on the net. But the question is, is this "no" so easy to say?
There is an interesting phenomenon here: as the outcry to "resist Japanese goods" is gaining in volume, the train of economic cooperation between the countries seems to be gaining even more speed.
Last year, China surpassed the US in becoming the largest trading partner of Japan, and Japan, in turn, has remained the largest trading partner of China for the past three years. The two countries' economies have integrated into a unity: inexpensive "made-in-China" goods satisfy Japanese consumers, and precise Japanese-made facilities equip Chinese manufacturers.
Yet what's more interesting is this: not all who vow to resist Japanese goods bear as simple a sentiment as their outcries sound. In fact, most of them don't. They feel torn between their hatred for the Japanese government's denial of history and their appreciation of Japanese products.
Even on the net where people get radical, not all who are against Japan are for the resistance of Japanese products. "I have a made-in-Japan washing machine which has worked for over 20 years and looks good for another 20. But that does not reduce my resentment for the Japanese invaders," a guest confessed on the BBS at CCTV.com.
"Resisting Japanese goods is what we've been doing since the mid 1980s," the commenter continued. "But now, the picture is changing. As a component of the world economy, China has to integrate into this economic chain. And so it is the case with China and Japan. Neither can afford to leave each other."
So here we are in a dilemma as simple and as hard as this: we've got a neighbor who hit us but wants to deny how hard he hit us, whom we dislike, but with whom we benefit greatly in trade, and whom also benefits greatly from trading with us. Is it worthwhile to voice our protest at the cost of profits lost? Will it even work? Are there any other ways to get our message across?
Proponents of the resistance campaign say "yes" to the first two questions and "no" to the last. One of the initiators of the campaign claimed that over 80% of Chinese worldwide consume Japanese motorcars and electronics. If every Chinese around the globe ceased buying Japanese products, Japan would lose 100 to 140 billion dollars (US) per year.
Some come up with even more precise calculations: Japan is highly dependent on the Chinese market. If all Chinese stopped buying Japanese products for one month, thousands of Japanese enterprises would face bankruptcy; do it for six months, and half of the Japanese population would go unemployed; continue for one year, and the Japanese economy would collapse...
It certainly looks scary. The point is, Japan and China's economies are highly interdependent. The process of resisting Japanese products is bound to be accompanied by losses for China as well. The most direct result might be reciprocal activity from Japan, and our agricultural exports would be the greatest victim.
Moreover, a campaign inspired by national sentiment, if handled improperly, can easily go over board and cause interior splitting among citizens. For instance, one who takes a less radical position might be condemned as a traitor.
Furthermore, it is virtually impossible to completely block out Japanese goods, because products of other countries, including China, invariably contain Japanese-made components. For instance, many national TV manufacturers are using kinescopes from Japan (Konka uses Toshiba kinescopes); some of the steel bars in the apartment we live in might come from Japan as well. The fine line between Japanese goods and national ones is more and more blurred, and it is getting harder and harder to aim protest arrows at exclusively Japanese goods.
"Don’t let politics interfere with economics," some advocates say. But, if the economy really has nothing to do with politics, how can they account for the fact that more than a few Japanese companies like Mitsubishi and Asashi contributed heavily to the political right wing in Japan?
Refuse Japanese goods, and surely Japan will suffer, but us, too; buy Japanese, then how can we make our protests strong if we have only WORDS?
All in all, resisting Japanese goods is a question we ought to respond to sensibly and intelligently. If it's to be, the campaign should be launched and reinforced responsibly, always within the bounds of public rationalism, because only with this can we reach the goals of self-protection and maximizing national interests.
1 Comments:
At 3:01 PM , Anonymous said...
Nice and sharp comment on the present chaotic mixture of economics and politics.
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