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© 2014 AFPEchoes of WWI battle in China resonate over Japan ties
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© 2014 AFP
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MarkG
Holding grudges is childish. The propaganda fed the the Chinese citizens only harbors it.
Imagine if all nations held grudges. We would have wiped humanity out some time ago.
Bad2Dbone
Using History to take advantage to steal resources , its very typical Chinese propaganda!!
noriyosan73
“This is a small, relatively forgotten battle but..NOTHING! 100 YEARS, What does it take to move on. Maybe the USA should hate Japan for what happened in '41, Germany for what happened at Dachau, and all the Arab countries for what happened in '01. Move on China and Koreas, only historians and propaganda machines continue to raise the 100 YEAR OLD offenses.
hereforever
Move on China. The only thing you're doing is making more countries side with Japan. All of your digging up the past will kick you in the a** some day .............soon.
timtak
I think they are wise not to forget the humilation since their humiliators (parcicularly the UK, my country) show little regret. Recently a British historian wrote a 'jokey' history of the opium wars! These days Western nations and Japan print money to for pay for Chinese products turning them once again into our slaves. To us they are still a bunch of weirdos that work in sweat shops because they are evil to each other http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UOpamsejBxQ
Thunderbird2
So now WW1 is a sore point... Britain asked Japan to fight the Germans in China, so maybe they should hate us too :)
Seirei Tobimatsu
Even a worm will turn. Persecution drove them to it.
stevchipmunk
People say, "Don't hold grudges!!" But should you forget? As the esteemed philosopher, Santayana, said, "Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them." And as the famed Chief Joseph of Nez Perce Indians commented on how to deal with the White Man; " White Man fool Indian first time, shame on White Man. White Man fool Indian second time, shame on Indian!" I think the Chinese have learned the lessons of history and understand that they shouldn't fool themselves into discounting the long history of Japanese aggression against China (and Korea). Be ready. Beware. They're all around.
Mess11
For the sake of finding a resolution to this issue, it is necessary for Japan at the very least to consider and respond to China's point of view, even if they disagree with said view. My question is, "Has China ever been the aggressor against Japan? Why doesn't Japan fight fire with fire by bringing up past cases of Chinese aggression against Japan? I learned the meaning of "Tsunami" as the divine wind, when it sank thousands of Chines war ships off the coast of Japan. Why not put Chines officials on the spot and have them have to explain China's past aggressions, and maybe have to acknowledge, much like they presently do, that these past Chinese aggressions against Japan influenced Japan's anger and feelings of victimization like China continuously does, and does very well.
nath
That's not what tsunami means. I'm guessing you are referring to 'kamikaze', which is made up of the kanji 'god-wind' and often translated as 'divine wind', but I've never heard that story so I'm not sure.
hampton
Mess11, I'd relearn the meaning of "tsunami" if I were you. A tsunami 津波 is a harbour wave, which is rather different from the kamikaze 神風 of 1274 and 1281, which were the "divine winds" that saved the Japanese from the Mongol fleets sent by Kublai Khan.
nath
Let's make sure we make everything bad about WWI Japan's fault, just as everything that happened in WWII was their fault. That's sure a good way to let us know how mature you are, China.
CrazyJoe
More BS from the "Chinese Ministry of Propaganda".
jerseyboy
Agree. But rubbing salt in someone's wounds is just as childish.
Mess11
my bad, thanks for the correction
nath
When you consider that we are all humans, sharing a single rock with limited space, there is no 'other party'. We are all in this together. So on that note, we should most definitely be examining each other's mistakes to ensure that we don't make them again. Though as you say, we should not be rubbing each other's noses in said mistakes.
darknuts
It was a century ago guys, get over it. You don't see the US holding a grudge with Britain for burning down the white house.
nath
And you don't see an apple being an orange. What's your point?
nath
@Strangeland So your argument is China gets to hold a grudge because it is different from the US? Rubbish. China needs to act like an adult if it wants a seat at the big boy table.
This is entirely the fault of a fascist government in China that keeps wages low and stockpiles other countries' currency.
nath
No, my 'argument' is that you made a false equivalency - that because the US doesn't hold a grudge, neither should China. As there is no equivalency there, it's apples meets oranges.
You have equated my pointing out your false equivalency as being an argument that China does have a right to hold a grudge. A failure in logic, as my pointing out a false equivalency only points out the invalidity of that false equivalency, it doesn't equate to a positive argument in favor of either side of that equivalency.
Maybe try staying away from the logic, it's not working well for you.
ToshiYori
If true, it's probably due to government run media drumming anti-Japanese propaganda into their heads 247365. I don't think publicly-aired pro-Japanese sentiment would make life easy for a citizen of China.
YuriOtani
Toshi Yori, the Communist party of the Peoples Republic of China does this now and has been doing it full time since 1994.
nath
@Strangerland That's why you post on here about other people's comments: just to point out that they are flawed logically, huh? I think you need to examine your own motives. They are most definitely not neutral.
nath
Sometimes.
I didn't claim they were. But if you have a problem with something I've said, point out what is wrong with it. Trying to read between the lines will more often than not result in failure.
Fadamor
Well your analogy was extremely ambiguous. Besides, comparing China's stance on Japan's siege during WWI to the U.S.'s stance on Britain during the War of 1812 was actually very apropos. Both involved countries invading (though Japan's invasion was against a third foreign power whom China had already ceded the city to) and the comparison was in how the invaded countries currently feel about the invader country.
nath
Seriously China.
It doesn't look good that China is spreading Hate filled propaganda to its own citizens through media sources. China, and you wonder why you have countries pissed at you. Could it be the way you are acting? IE claiming the East Sea as your own? Hello, there are other countries that have a right to it as well.
pointofview
Considering the West feeds just as much propaganda to its people there`s no real difference.
nath
@pointofview May I direct you to your side of the internet which is conveniently walled off for you?
pointofview
@scipantheist,
I know you are trying to be funny but its ridiculous that people blame China for every possible thing on the planet. If they are so horrible stop pumping cash into the country. To deny that the West doesnt feed there own propoganda is shortsighted. I think its typical of non Chinese to slag off China, just life. Its easy to admit that all countries have their own dirt to shovel.
OssanAmerica
The Germans occupied Chinese territory. The Japanese along with the British fought and kicked them out. So Chinese hate the Japanese. OK I get it,
ReformedBasher
As opposed to China who never invades or threatens anyone. Ever.
Christopher Glen
As usual - all the China-phobes are out in force. The fact is if Japan openly and honestly taught history in its schools instead of Abe-approved books, China wouldn't have anything to complain about. Seen in hindsight - it was getting involved in China that led to US, UK and Netherlands trade embargoes - and Pearl Harbour further down the track
SenseNotSoCommon
Japan came unfashionably late to the great empire-building orgy.
History written by the victor, blah, blah, blah. Tired cliches ad nauseam, etc., etc.
ReformedBasher
As in somebody "afraid" of China?
With good reason. Being wary of China is entirely sensible as far as I'm concerned.
Christopher Glen
I'm afraid both the documented and online evidence pointing to Japan's WW2 wrong-doing is pretty overwhelming. There's also the testimony by former soldiers as well, so there's your answer to "history written by the victor". The fact remains that if Perry hadn't come knocking on Japan's door with his gunboats in 1853, Japanese history would have been considerably different with regard to "empire building", as Japan had been rather content to be left alone for 214 years until that point.
nath
@pointofview
Fine then, this is a blatant false equivalency. The West has freedom of information which is a great nullifier of propaganda. China has no freedom of information. End of story.
Christopher Glen
Or China-bashers, whatever you call it. Either way, Japan has a skewed view of history to deal with vis-a-via China
SenseNotSoCommon
It continues to be written by the victor. Look how less than angelic episodes are spun, airbrushed or simply ignored as, at best, "newsworthy yesterday, but not today, sorry!" in today's dumbed-down, soundbite age.