China’s state media Huanqiu published an opinion article in which the author, a research analyst at the Institute of the Ministry of Commerce, mentioned the United States in an effort to separate the Chinese people’s nationalistic emotions from the Sino-Japanese rift over the Diaoyu islands (called the Senkaku islands in Japan). 

On August 29, People’s Liberation Army Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese military, published a commentary on the recent renewed dispute over the Diaoyu Islands (called the Senkaku Islands in Japan), titled “Is the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security a protecting shield for Japan?” The article stated that, although the United States holds that the issue of the Senkaku Islands falls within the scope of the Article 5 of the 1960 U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, the U.S. government will not dispatch troops to solve the conflict.

The article emphasized, “The fact that the Diaoyu Islands are China’s territory will not change in the slightest because of any party’s attempts to interfere. The Chinese government and its people will not back off because of a so-called treaty or certain people’s position. It is unwise for the Japanese to provoke incidents again and again in hopes of having the protection of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security. What is the most critical is that, in the face of the Chinese people’s righteous and determined resolution, no treaty can protect the Japanese from violating the interests of others.”

Source: PLA Daily, August 29, 2012
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/jfjbmap/content/2012-08/29/content_13331.htm

On August 15, 2012, 14 Chinese activists landed on one of Diaoyu islands (called the Senkaku Islands in Japan) in the East China Sea. Their action caused a fresh round of heated disputes between China and Japan over the sovereignty of the territory.

In an attempt to cool down the Chinese activists’ expression of patriotism, Huanqiu (the Global Times), a division of People’s Daily, published an article written by Han Xiaoqing, the president of the Japan-China news agency (also a division of People’s Daily). The article, questioning whether the Chinese activists’ landing on one of the Diaoyu islands damaged China’s national interest, was titled “Is it a patriotic act for activists to land on the Diaoyu Islands or does it harm the country?”

The article said, “The Hong Kong activists’ actions in landing on the Diaoyu Islands again pushed the slightly eased Sino-Japanese relations into a fierce confrontational situation.” It argued that China’s most urgent national strategic objective is not to recapture the Diaoyu Islands. "Currently China’s most urgent and most important national strategic goal is to develop the economy and enhance economic strength in order to cope with the grim international situation and severe challenges."

In conclusion, the author stated, “The Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland activists landing on the Diaoyu Islands, regardless of their motives, was not a patriotic act, but an act that harmed the country.”

The article caused an uproar on Chinese Internet forums, with the majority of the postings calling it traitorous. The article was soon withdrawn from the Huanqiu website, but it is still available on many other Chinese websites.

Source: Huanqiu, August 28, 2012
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/1152/2012-08/3072485.html.
http://news.sina.com.cn/pl/2012-08-28/094525051069.shtml