The latest flare-up between Beijing and Tokyo over the disputed islands in the East China Sea was unlikely to develop into a full-blown diplomatic crisis despite media hype, mainland scholars on China-Japan affairs say.
Sino-Japanese relations were thrown into fresh uncertainty on Saturday when Japanese ambassador to Beijing Uichiro Niwa was recalled to discuss a response to the new row over the Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkakus in Japan.
Niwa told Kyodo News Agency at Beijing airport yesterday when leaving the country that discussions would focus on recent developments over the disputed islands. 'I don't have a schedule yet, but I will come back to China right after I finish the consultations,' Niwa was quoted as saying by Kyodo.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported yesterday that Niwa would go back to China today.
Liu Jiangyong , a professor of international relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said the recall of ambassadors on territorial disputes was common. 'The temporary return of an ambassador isn't a big deal; it happens all the time. But media from both countries played up the tensions,' he said. 'China and Japan are sharing mutual interests on cultural and economical fields, so no matter what happens, they will find a way to resolve their political problems peacefully.'
Japan's foreign minister, Koichiro Gemba, recalled Niwa on Saturday in Hanoi after three Chinese fishery patrol boats entered the disputed waters on Wednesday and Thursday. Gemba denied that the move was a protest against China and said the ambassador would be sent back to Beijing soon.