A Malaysian researcher expects the positive outcomes of the first meeting of the China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism in London to bring much needed stability to the trade relationship between the two major powers which will benefit Malaysia and the wider ASEAN region.
In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN), Peter TC Chang, former deputy director of the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya and a research associate at the China-Malaysia Friendship Association, said he was encouraged by the progress made at the China-U.S. trade talks in London from Monday to Tuesday.
An official from the Chinese ministry of commerce said the two sides conducted professional, rational, in-depth and candid exchanges during the two-day meeting, and have agreed in principle the framework for implementing the consensus between the two heads of state during their phone talks last Thursday, as well as those reached at the recent meeting in Geneva.
Giving his reaction, Chang said the London meeting has sent out positive signals which will encourage markets across Asia following the recent tariff escalation.
"We are happy to hear that both major powers have agreed in principle on a framework in which a deal with their trade, tariffs and exports control [can be made]. First, in Malaysia and ASEAN, we have always had this world view that the major powers of the world should really work together. It is to ASEAN and Malaysia's benefit that China and U.S. are able to strike up a cordial and respectful relationship. Therefore, the news coming out from London was indeed a good one for us," he said.
"China and the U.S. are both major trading partners for Malaysia and ASEAN in general. So, the tariff war has not only hurt the two major powers, but it has also hurt Malaysia and ASEAN as well. So, we just hope that this meeting coming out from London will bring some sort of stability to the very tense trade relationship between the two powers and that will really benefit Malaysia and ASEAN as a whole," he said.
China-US trade talks bring stability, benefits ASEAN region: Malaysian expert
China-US trade talks bring stability, benefits ASEAN region: Malaysian expert
The descendants of Japanese combatants in China during World War II, who last year knelt in apology to the Chinese people on behalf of their fathers in northeast China's Jilin Province, stressed the crucial need for Japanese people to recognize the atrocities committed by their ancestors and offer sincere apologies as an obligation.
On July 7, 1937, Japanese troops attacked Chinese forces at the Lugou Bridge on the outskirts of Beijing, marking the beginning of Japan's full-scale invasion of China and China's nationwide resistance against the Japanese invaders, initiating a whole-of-nation war effort that opened the main Eastern battlefield in the global war against fascism.
In September 2024, Kuroi Akio, along with five other descendants of Japanese soldiers who had invaded China, came to Gongzhuling City in Jilin Province with historical documents to apologize to the Chinese people on behalf of their fathers.
Kuroi's father, Kuroi Keijirou, participated in two separate campaigns in northeast China in 1932 and 1941. These campaigns included violent acts against civilians, something Kuroi is determined to address and atone for.
"As far as I can remember, my father was always a quiet man who rarely spoke. I hardly ever saw him smile -- he always wore a gloomy expression. I never had any experience of him patting my head or giving me a hug; no affectionate father-son interaction ever passed between us," Kuroi said.
Kuroi recalled watching a video featuring an American veteran of the Vietnam war. The veteran disclosed that he continued to dream about the killing of Vietnamese civilians and woke up screaming in the dead of night.
Kuroi observed that the veteran's harrowing experiences bore a striking resemblance to his father's sorrowful countenance. This led him to believe that his father suffered from the same kind of war trauma.
"Some people have shared with me their experiences of fathers who, due to war trauma, have subjected their families to domestic violence, such as beating or kicking their mothers, or struggling with alcohol abuse. As a matter of fact, in Japan, soldiers who suffered psychological breakdowns due to war were deliberately concealed by the authorities during wartime. I believe that my father also understood that it was the wrong war. I think it is crucial to convey the sentiment of 'I am truly sorry to the Chinese people' to express this feeling," Kuroi said.
During last year's apology ceremony at Gongzhuling Zhanqian Primary School, under the Chinese national flag, Kuroi removed his shoes and socks and knelt down to kowtow before the students.
"For Japanese people, kneeling in apology is considered the most solemn way," Kuroi said.
"At Gongzhuling Zhanqian Primary School, it is the actual ground where many murdered Chinese people are buried, and where the blood of numerous Chinese people has flowed. As a Japanese, I believe that I cannot wear shoes while standing on this land," he said.
"China is our neighboring country, with which we should live in harmony. We must openly confront the painful facts of the atrocities and aggression committed in the past and sincerely apologize from the bottom of our hearts. I believe this is something that must be done," said Kurokawa Yasuko, another descendant of a WWII Japanese soldier.
Japanese WWII descendants urge recognition, apologies for wartime atrocities against Chinese people
