Thaw in Sino-Japanese ties can benefit whole region

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, and as there has been a thawing of bilateral relations recently, Premier Li Keqiang said on Tuesday that he will consider paying an official visit to Japan while attending the China-Japan-ROK leaders’ meeting planned for the first half of this year.

Li’s remarks, made while speaking at a news conference after the annual session of China’s top legislature concluded, is recognition that spring has arrived after a long winter of discontent between the two neighbors in which ties were frozen.

Since last year, there have been several positive developments signaling the two neighbors are hoping to break the ice between them. But to be frank, the responsibility for plunging bilateral ties to such a low level does not lie with China, and, so far, Japan has said a lot but delivered very little in the way of concrete efforts to put bilateral ties back onto the right track again.

Japan should honor the spirit and consensus of the four bilateral political agreements between the two sides so as to ensure there is an atmosphere conducive for sincere discussions.

And as Li said, the aim of such talks should not be a short-term arrangement but lasting improvement in bilateral relations; that calls for commitment and vision.

Correctly diagnosing the ills of the present will foretell a healthier future for relations, not only between Beijing and Tokyo, but also Tokyo with Seoul.

The trilateral leaders’ meeting, a mechanism intended to enhance trilateral cooperation, has been dormant in recent years because of Tokyo’s irresponsible stance toward historical issues, which has soured relations with Beijing and Seoul.

A resumption of the trilateral mechanism this year would not only help improve Japan’s relations with its two neighbors, it would also help advance negotiations on a long-in-the-works trilateral free trade agreement, which would also help build trust and bring the three closer together.

Given that China, Japan and Republic of Korea are all major players in East Asia and Northeast Asia, they can make a big contribution to addressing regional issues such as the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula by working together.

Better relations among the three would send a strong signal that they share a common desire to promote peace and prosperity in the region.