Publication

This commentary looks at the deadlock in Sino-Japanese relations. The author argues that, first, the policymakers in both countries need to understand that 'their' tango includes more countries than just themselves. Second, they need to appreciate that talks are insufficient and may even be counterproductive. Third, they need to strive for more wide-ranging and creative options to deal with the historical problem. He suggest additional high-level meetings, bureaucratic dialogues, and people-to-people exchanges to deal with bilateral distrust, hostile nationalist sentiments, and a lack of goodwill.