"Unless political leaders moderate their tough nationalist rhetoric, mutually beneficial economic bonds could start to deteriorate," said the Hong Kong-based Web site.
"China is Japan's biggest trading partner, accounting for 20.1 percent of its trade in 2004. In concrete terms, it was worth a staggering 22.2005 trillion yen ($206.56 billion) in 2004 with exports to China hitting 11.8278 trillion yen and imports totting up to 10.3727 trillion yen. Major Japanese firms such as Toyota Motor Corp are expanding rapidly in China while big Chinese players such as the Shanghai Electric Group are entering the Japanese market."
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"There is a growing call to boycott Japanese products," writes entrepreneur Terrie Lloyd in Japan Today. "Dealers of Japanese cars in Beijing say that in the last week, customer traffic is just 25 percent of normal and that sales have dropped by 50 percent. Other reports say that Chinese companies are holding back on ordering Japanese products because they don't want to be targeted if things take a turn for the worse."
But China has worries of its own, say several commentators.
"The mass street protests that are neither sanctioned exactly nor altogether condoned by the authorities," notes The Standard's Vines.
"On the one hand, the demonstrators are expressing patriotic fervor and support for government policy, while on the other they are moving ahead of the government in their vehemence. More importantly the demonstrations are largely spontaneous and therefore beyond the control of the state."
The lead editorial in the Sunday edition of the People's Daily Online, the Chinese government's most popular news outlet, lent credence to the argument.
Without mentioning the anti-Japan demonstrations, the editorial called on the Chinese people "to maintain social stability for the building of a harmonious society." It asserted that "contradictions and problems can only be settled in an orderly manner by abiding by the law and with a sober mind." It concluded, "We should cherish and maintain social stability the same way we protect our eyes."
After three weeks of protest, the Chinese government now seems to believe that maintaining order takes precedent over bashing Japan.
