Wu Zuolai on why Japan is strong and China is weak

A Japanese academic published a treaty saying the Diaoyu Islands belonged to the Chinese in ancient times, and everyone in China applauds. But the fact that this book could be published in Japan is the very reason why Japan is strong today. In China, if anyone says that the Islands were once part of the Ryukyu Kingdom (Editor’s note: A tiny kingdom that existed 1429-1879 later annexed by Japan), he is at once labelled a traitor by the masses. This is why China remains weak, and why it has lost the Diaoyu Islands. A people without freedom and tolerance cannot possibly be strong. For if a nation can’t even protect private property, how can it hope to protect national soil?
「日本的一位专家出专著，说钓鱼岛古代属于中国，中国人一片叫好，但这样的书在日本能够出版，这正是日本强大的原因，而中国有个别人说钓鱼岛一度属于琉球，马上就汉奸候补汉奸的口诛，这正是中国弱小的原因，也是失去钓鱼岛的原因，没有自由与宽容的民族，不可能强大，保护不了私宅的国家还想守住国土？」
— Scholar and blogger Wu Zuolai (吴祚来) on what makes Japan strong and China weak today. [via]

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