Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Japan as a state guest, which the two governments had been aiming to realize in early April, was forced to be rearranged as the new coronavirus spreads. The Chinese and Japanese governments aim to realize the visit at an early date so as not to affect favorable relations between the countries.
"Japan and China will continue working to make the event an opportunity to show both at home and abroad that both countries will fulfill their responsibilities in addressing the challenges facing the region and the international community," said Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi to reporters at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, emphasizing that both governments will coordinate over Xi's visit.
"We do not expect any particular impact," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference on Thursday, when asked if the postponement would have any impact on Japan-China relations.
Since returning to power in 2012, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has worked to improve relations with China, which were greatly soured by tensions over the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. During his official visit to China in October 2018, Abe said that bilateral relations had returned to a "perfectly normal orbit." By inviting Xi as the second state guest in the new Reiwa era following U.S. President Donald Trump, Abe hoped to make the visit a "compilation" of his diplomatic policy toward China.
In particular, the prime minister aimed to build a "mature Japan-China relationship in a new era," starting with Xi's visit. While Japan and China have strengthened their economic ties, their relations have been cooled instantly by political issues such as the territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands and Abe's visits to Yasukuni Shrine. By taking the opportunity of Xi's visit, the prime minister wanted to expand economic exchanges with China and stimulate the Japanese economy.
Another purpose was to strongly urge China to fulfill its responsibilities as a major power in the international community, where China is increasing its influence.
For its part, China apparently aimed to win over Japan, a U.S. ally, as the confrontation between China and the United States deepened. During Xi's visit to Japan, the Chinese side wanted to publish a "fifth political document," following the four political documents of the past, in which it wanted to include the term "new era," which Xi touted as a key phrase in his guiding philosophy. Beijing apparently hopes to draw up a document that reflects the current position of China, which has overtaken Japan in economic and military affairs.
The success of Xi's future state visit to Japan will depend on how much the environment is improved.
Some members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have increasingly criticized the government's plan to treat Xi as a state guest, given concerns over China's incursions into Japanese waters near the Senkaku Islands and the situation in Hong Kong. The latest decision to postpone the visit was made partly in response to domestic opposition. The question is whether China will be able to take steps to improve Japanese sentiment toward China.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
