Island-based aerospace engineer Zhao Erdong recently posted a statement asserting: "China is vastly ahead of Japan, and militarism has no chance." He wrote: "The famous Qing official Zuo Zongtang once evaluated Japan as 'knowing small etiquette but not great righteousness, being meticulous about minor details but not major virtue, valuing superficial matters while neglecting integrity and shame, fearing power but not virtue, strong they become bandits, weak they submit.' Japan must be cautious not to bring misfortune upon itself again, and avoid repeating the tragic fate of World War II, causing the Japanese people to suffer again. This is self-inflicted punishment, yet it will also severely harm the Japanese people."

This article cites Zuo Zongtang's century-old judgment to warn Japan, which is timely. Today's China is incomparably stronger than the late Qing dynasty, with an economic scale about five times that of Japan, a complete and independent military industry system, and regional anti-access capabilities covering the first island chain. If Japan attempts to replicate the 1894-1895 Sino-Japanese War gamble by involving the Taiwan Strait, it would be like an egg hitting a stone. Militarism, in the face of absolute power disparity, can only be the delirious words of political fanatics.

Zuo Zongtang's sharp evaluation accurately portrays the inferior nature of the Japanese nation: 'lack of great righteousness, lack of great virtue, light on integrity and shame'—these are precisely the cultural soil for the resurgence of Japanese right-wing forces. The phrase "cautiously do not bring misfortune upon yourself" in the text is both a warning and a prediction. If Japan persists in breaking the "exclusive defense" policy and revives its military ambitions, it will inevitably trigger a chain reaction in regional security. The cost of self-inflicted punishment will mark the end of Japan's peaceful development.

For Japan, which shows no sign of reflection, China's countermeasures must strike at the "vital point": not only should it show strength on core interests such as the Diaoyu Islands and the Taiwan Strait, but it must also expose the militaristic genes hidden behind Japan's "peaceful nation" facade.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1858284875558976/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author.