Illustration: Luo Xuan/GT

Foreign ministers from China, Japan and South Korea have just wrapped up a trilateral meeting in Tokyo, prior to which the countries' trilateral relations had gone through a number of twists and turns, with a lot of sensitivities between China and Japan, in particular. As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi put it, China-Japan relations seem to be a boat sailing against the current, which, if not able to travel upstream, will only bear back into the past. The fact that the foreign ministers of the three countries sat down for a frank exchange of views only marks the first step toward accumulating the mutual political trust necessary to pursue practical cooperation.

In the case of China-Japan relations, calls for the launch of a maritime and air liaison mechanism jointly operated by the two countries in an attempt to defuse the risk of military conflicts over the East China Sea are mostly on the mark. It is well acknowledged that it has been a long time since the defense departments of the two countries discussed cooperation. However, Japan has failed to face up to its incorrect historical claims as well as misdeeds, and instead has repeatedly taken provocative action. As a result, the creation of the liaison mechanism, that should be done as a matter of urgency, has been put on hold. Hopefully with the two nations sitting down at the negotiating table to hold pragmatic talks means that an effective mechanism can be put into place in the earliest possible way to avoid escalation in the East China Sea and prevent any irrevocable actions that would throw the two countries into a perilous situation. This is truly an urgent priority that the bilateral relations depends on.

Another bright spot in the just-concluded trilateral meeting is that it has substantially built up anticipation for a proposed free trade agreement between the three countries. A virtuous cycle of economic and societal development among the powerhouses of the Asia-Pacific region will certainly be in the making if China, Japan and South Korea can move beyond their existing investment and trade cooperation into an exploration of complementary industries as well as cooperation in the emerging high-tech and logistics industries.

Nevertheless, creating a security mechanism or making a breakthrough in free trade negotiations will require all parties involved, on the basis of building politically mutual trust, to show sincerity as well as take practical steps. The Chinese people know deeply that there's little humanity in sweet words and a pleasing countenance, and the people have suffered from treachery and broken promises in the past. In light of this, China has reiterated its principles and position at the Tokyo meeting, repeating the need for sincerity from Japan in acknowledging its history and addressing previous maritime disputes.

The crux of the trials and tribulations in Sino-Japanese relations is that Japanese dignitaries still refuse to face up to their country's history and can not discard their old ways of thinking that seek to drain away the country's problems into its neighboring countries. It's often the case that whenever major opportunities are coming up, such as next month's leaders' summit, Japan makes an effort at the last moment and urgently sends in its representatives to discuss the relevant matters with China. Meanwhile, the Japanese side has repeatedly played the trick of denying promises that it had previously made.

In the lead up to the Group of 20 (G20) summit hosted by China in Hangzhou, will Japan act in an inconsistent manner after it makes promises and obtains the ticket to attend and meet leaders from other major G20 countries at the summit? Part of the agenda of the upcoming Hangzhou G20 summit is global economic governance. Given Japan's past performance at some major international meetings, there is a possibility that Japan may inappropriately raise the issues of the South China Sea and the East China Sea to stir trouble. In East Asia, there is a saying that a guest should suit the convenience of the host. Therefore, it is truly necessary to warn the Japanese delegation to the G20 summit that Japan should take the interests of the group into account and act in tune with the theme of the summit instead of causing trouble. Japanese political leaders should instead behave and be introspective.

The author is acting director of the Institute of Japanese Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn