to run stories about Japanese businessmen holding orgies in Hainan, a tropical coastal province.

Aware of the tension present under the surface of Chinese society, the government milks the public's loathing of Japan - diverting attention from its own shortcomings. It may now be too late to undo the decades of negative propaganda that have defined Japan in the eyes of ordinary Chinese people.

At its heart however, the Chinese-Japanese quarrel is startlingly superficial. The Japanese and Chinese economies are so closely linked that any real disagreement would have dire consequences for both countries.

Since 2000 trade between Japan and China has doubled to almost $200bn a year. In terms of a pure business relationship, China, as one of the world's biggest

manufacturers, and Japan, one of the world's biggest consumers, is a marriage made in heaven.

Culturally, too, China's young are more receptive to Japan than they would care to admit. A teenager living in Hangzhou may claim to hate Japanese people but they may very well watch Japanese soap operas, play Japanese video games or listen to Japanese pop music.

The Chinese government needs Japan as a scapegoat, but needs it more as a business partner.