Warship brings message of peace

By Li Xiaokun (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-30 07:21

The first Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) ship to visit China left Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, on Saturday after a five-day stay at the headquarters of the South China Sea Fleet.

As it sailed out into the South China Sea, the Sazanami was accompanied by the Chinese destroyer Shenzhen, which made the first visit by a Chinese warship to Japan last November.

A crewmember from the Japanese destroyer Sazanami signs autographs for Chinese students in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, on Friday, during the vessel's five-day stay in China. It was the first time for a Japanese naval ship to visit China in six decades. [Li Xiaokun/China Daily]

"I hope you take the friendship of the Chinese people back to Japan," Su Shiliang, commander of China's South China Sea Fleet, told Shinichi Tokumaru, commander of the MSDF escort fleet that the Sazanami belongs to. Su gave the Japanese visitors a photo album commemorating their stay in Zhanjiang.

Both navies were impressed by their first direct contact on the Chinese mainland in over 60 years.

"It was a fulfilling experience for me," said Kazuhiko Mizoe, captain of the Japanese vessel, during a reception on the eve of its departure. "Now, it's hard to say goodbye."

The Japanese ship's stay is the latest indication of warming relations, which included President Hu Jintao's visit to Japan in May, the first by a top Chinese leader in 10 years, and Japan's swift response after the May 12 earthquake.

The two sides also reached an agreement on the joint development of the East China Sea this month, putting aside years of disputes over claims to the area.

The MSDF had made elaborate preparations for its debut in China. Crewmembers at the entrance of the Sazanami saluted every visitor to the ship and greeted them in Chinese, while signs in Chinese helped visitors find their way around the vessel.

A vice-captain of the Japanese vessel, surnamed Sato, stood in the blazing sun for two hours to sign autographs for around 500 visitors on Friday.

"The Chinese have treated me very well," he said. "I'd like to do something for them, too."

Wang Cuiying, 76, who was one of the visitors to get Sato's signature, said: "He writes Chinese characters very well."

"Chinese and Japanese people share a similar culture. Although we pronounce the words differently, we can still communicate through writing," Wang said.

"People of my generation all went through the war and we still remember the grief. But as the times change, we should focus on the future."

Jin Huixin, a 30-year-old middle school teacher, traveled from Shanghai to visit the ship.

"I have seen 23 warships from 15 countries that have visited China, but I never had a chance to see a Japanese one," he said.

Takayuki Maruyama, a weather officer on the Sazanami, had nothing but praise for his Chinese hosts.

"This port is very impressive. The Chinese navy is very well maintained."

Zhang Shengping, vice-captain of the Shenzhen, said the Japanese destroyer is a "vessel of the 21st century", while the Chinese peer is "a ship of the 1990s".

"The best of the Chinese navy can match the Sazanami, but there is much we can still learn from them."

The crew of the two ships had many opportunities to get to know one another during the Sazanami's five-day stay, including a buffet on Thursday offering Chinese dishes.

Wang Zhibing, a Chinese naval officer in charge of organizing activities during the visit, said the events hosted by the Sazanami were some of the most extravagant organized by foreign navies in Zhanjiang since 2003.

"I have never seen a visiting navy offering such a great variety of food, drink and activities. It shows the importance they have attached to this trip," he said.

Members of the public were also treated to a joint two-hour musical performance by the navies' bands that included pieces from Peking Opera and popular Japanese animation. The bands observed a moment of silence before their performance to pay tribute to the victims of the Sichuan earthquake.

Many military aficionados who did not get the chance to visit the Sazanami had to make do with views of the vessel from a bridge linking the military port and downtown Zhanjiang.

Netizens' views about the visit were mixed. While some welcomed it, with one describing it as a "historic breakthrough", another said: "Chinese should never forget the past and the suffering the Japanese brought upon us during the war."

However, Gao Hong, a senior researcher on Japan studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the event should be viewed from a long-term perspective.

"The visit shows that China and Japan have started to accept each other and will promote a strategic, mutually beneficial relationship," Gao said.

The Kyodo News Agency quoted Japan's Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba as saying he did not think the visit would remove all the obstacles to further improving Sino-Japanese relations.

"A trustworthy relationship cannot be built in a day," he said.

South China Sea Fleet Commander Su Shiliang echoed Ishiba's view.

"We should take concrete steps to sow seeds of friendship and deliver the message of peace, to make our own contributions toward China-Japan ties for future generations," he said.