Japanese diplomat distorts facts

Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu referred to Donglang, the site of an on-going standoff between China and India, as a disputed area and said no country should change the status quo by force in an interview with Indian media on Friday.

These remarks, interpreted by local media as being in India's favor, since India claims the road China is constructing in the area will change the status quo, are ill-grounded and misleading.

As a diplomat, Hiramatsu should not be so ignorant of the fact that there is no territorial dispute in the Donglang area, and that the root cause of the standoff stems from Indian troops' trespassing across the already delimited Sikkim section of the China-India boundary into Chinese territory. As Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying has rightfully pointed out, it is India, not China, that is trying to create trouble and change the status quo. Thus, there must be a hidden agenda behind Japanese diplomat's deliberate distortion of the facts.

Considering the neutral stance taken by other Western countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, the Indian media was naturally elated by Hiramatsu's remarks, immediately interpreting them as Japan's stance being in India's favor.

Since it is locked in maritime disputes with China in the East China Sea, Japan's stance is not that surprising. It has long taken a confrontational approach toward China on other regional issues. This time, by throwing its weight behind India, Japan intends to discredit China and portray as bullying its neighbors.

Instead of easing the current tensions between China and India, Japan's interference will likely only add more fuel to the flames.

But Japan's superficial support should not mislead India into believing that its trespassing into Chinese territory can be justified, and that it can get away with it without facing any severe consequences. If India still wants to resolve the issue in peace, the only realistic solution is to immediately withdraw its troops and equipment from China's territory.