Handle Diaoyu issue with care

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's sudden visit to China on Sept 4-5 amid rising tensions between Japan and China over the Diaoyu Islands (called Senkaku Islands in Japan) dispute reflects the United States' role in Sino-Japanese relations.

The balance of power in East Asia has undergone a fundamental change since the territorial dispute deteriorated in 2010. The region has seen the rise of China and South Korea and the relative decline in Japanese leadership. The change in the power balance has also caused a change in the international community's role in the region. But Japanese government has to properly maintain national sovereignty.

It is difficult for the US and Japan to continue to be as prosperous as they were until the end of the 20th century irrespective of who their leaders are or will be. The Americans and Japanese face the reality of the world global economy. The biggest task for the US and Japan is to correctly analyze the current situation, strengthen their political leadership for stability and use the change in the power balance to move toward peace and prosperity.