Chinese citizens have expressed concerns that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which marked its 100th founding anniversary on Thursday, has ruined the image of the nation and hindered personal relationships with Japanese people.
"China is not equal to the Communist Party. I hope more Japanese will visit China and know more about what we are now, after travel restrictions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic ease," The Japan Times quoted 45-year-old architect Zhang Yong.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken a hard-line approach to foreign powers, saying in a keynote speech at Thursday's celebration that if they bully China, they will face "broken heads and bloodshed in front of the iron Great Wall of the 1.4 billion Chinese people".
Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken a hard-line approach to foreign powers, saying in a keynote speech at Thursday's celebration that if they bully China, they will face "broken heads and bloodshed in front of the iron Great Wall of the 1.4 billion Chinese people."
After this, several Chinese citizens have apparently shared concern that the ruling party's aggressive and assertive posture toward Hong Kong and Taiwan and in the South and East China seas might be posing a serious threat to the nation's neighbors, including Japan.
They have also expressed fears that issues such as Beijing's alleged intellectual property theft and human rights abuses in Xinjiang, could prompt more Japanese companies to leave the Chinese market, reported The Japan Times.
According to Zhang, the CCP-led government's alleged attempt to cover up information about the virus in the initial stages of the outbreak "has dealt a crucial blow to the image of China".
Furthermore, the number of Japanese who have positive feelings about mainland China has been decreasing recently. The ratio of Japanese who have an "unfavorable" impression of China increased by five points to 89.7 per cent in 2020, according to a survey by the Genron NPO, an independent think tank in Japan.
Among them, 57.4 per cent criticised the intrusion of Chinese vessels into the waters surrounding the Japan-controlled, China-claimed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, while 47 per cent said they feel discomfort with the country's one-party rule.
The survey conducted between September and October last year showed that 45.2 per cent of Chinese have a "favorable" image of Japan. The most common reason for the positive attitude by Chinese people toward Japan was because Japanese are "polite" and they "put emphasis on manners" with "high cultural standards," the organisation said.
"We should always be suspicious about China's moves that could jeopardize the security of Japan. China, in this case, refers to the Communist Party, not a nation composed of ordinary Chinese citizens," said a Japanese journalist in China.
The Japan Times quoted Li Xinyuan, a 36-year-old engineer, who said, "Not all of the Chinese citizens are compliant with the Communist Party. I hope Japanese will watch China without prejudice and get along with Chinese, who are essentially kind and friendly."
Recently, tensions between China and Japan have escalated amid increased activity by Beijing in the disputed East China Sea. This came after Beijing implements a new law that allows the country's quasi-military force to use weapons against foreign ships that China sees as illegally entering its waters.
( With inputs from ANI )
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