The U.S. no doubt has its own reasons for adopting a wrong position on this matter. But its incorrect stance is detrimental to U.S. interests and its image as a responsible global leader, and will become more so over time.

The U.S. currently sees Japan as an ally balancing against China, even though it was China that fought shoulder to shoulder with America in World War Two. It is ironic that the same group of militarist leaders who are presently enshrined at Yasukuni made the decision to attack Pearl Harbor. It is not known what the dead of Pearl Harbor would think of the positions of the current U.S. government and, particularly, its weak response to Abe's Yasukuni pilgrimage.

We are not discussing here whether it is reasonable for the U.S. to regard China as a threat that must be balanced against, but rather whether values are more or less important than strategic interests. The historical issues raise very clearly the question of what is right and what is wrong. Even if the U.S. is right to regard China as a strategic rival, it should not abandon its values, and should not obscure the distinction between right and wrong.

The U.S. is not only a nation state with advanced values but also a global leader. If the U.S. cannot stick to its values, why should other countries look to it as a model? To put it another way, if the U.S. continues to refuse to take a clear stance on historical issues, it will lose the trust not only of China and South Korea, but also of other nations.

The weak U.S. position is also unlikely to prevent a buildup of tensions between China and Japan. It is often argued that the best interests of the U.S. in East Asia lie in smoothing tensions between the two major regional powers. But, as we have seen above, U.S. indulgence risks encouraging Japan to take aggressive measures which, in turn, will leave China with very little room for maneuver, since China's policy on this matter is not very flexible. Does the U.S. really want to risk a conflict between China and Japan that might end with the U.S. being dragged into a war that would benefit nobody?

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://china.org.cn/opinion/jinliangxiang.htm

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