Today marks the first time that a major Chinese political figure has stepped forward to comment on the increasingly dangerous strains splitting China and Japan. Today in a statement Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that "Tokyo bears full responsibility for the situation, and it will bear all consequences". And "Further Action" has not been ruled out by the Chinese leadership in the situation either.
Meanwhile, Japan is trying all it can (short of releasing the Chinese captain) to cool down the Chinese. But they just don't seem interested in listening to the Japanese. Whether China is using this situation as an excuse to seize control of the Diaoyu Islands is not clear, but in this humble Journalist's opinion, it seems a little extreme to be reacting in this way to the seizure of one of their citizens.
So how does this serious contention between these two countries get solved? The first thing that could happen to cool this down is Japan's release of the Chinese captain. Since that doesn't seem likely, at least for another 10 days, we'll put that aside. The second thing that could happen is that China could calm down and listen to Japan's claims. That however, seems near-impossible as China is escalating the dispute.
That leaves our third choice: bringing in a third party to help settle the dispute. And while the UN does wonderful work, I'm not talking about them. I'm talking about Australia.
It makes a lot of sense for Australia to step into the ring in this dispute for all three parties. First, Australia is a trade partner with ASEAN, which China also trades with, so they aren't unfamiliar with each other. Also, in 2007 Australia signed a security pact with Japan, making the two countries strong allies in the region.
Second, Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister and current Foreign Minister of Australia speaks Chinese and has a deep knowledge of China through his studies both in China and Australia.
Third, this situation gives Julia Gilliard, the newly elected Prime Minister, a great chance not only to assert herself as a leader in the world, but assert Australia as a strong country in the region. And since Kevin Rudd is now the Foreign Minister, it allows for them to work together under the auspices of regional security, while strengthening her new position.
And China and Japan have absolutely nothing to lose by Australia stepping in. Instead of bringing an agenda, like the United States or UN might, they are simply interested in bringing peace to the region. And since Australia has strong ties to both countries, there should not be claims of favoritism to either China or Japan. The situation can be resolved and relations in Southeast Asia can return to the status quo.
So I call upon Australia to step forward and seize this perfect opportunity to bring themselves forward in the regional and international arena. The benefits are numerous and the risks few. Allowing this dispute to continue could have serious repercussions in the region that could very negatively affect Australia and it's interests, let alone China and Japan. If this dispute comes to blows, however unlikely that may be, the waves of unrest in East Asia will roll upon the shores of countries the world over.
So step forward and take charge, Australia! The world is counting on you.
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