Japanese leader makes first state visit to China in eight years

BEIJING — Six years ago, angry demonstrators filled the streets in dozens of Chinese cities to protest Japan’s claim to islands in the East China Sea, surrounding Tokyo’s embassy, overturning Japanese cars and in some cases even attacking sushi restaurants.

Two years later, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of a regional conference in Beijing, and the body language said it all: Xi could barely muster a smile during an awkward handshake for the cameras.

As Abe begins the first state visit to China by a Japanese leader in eight years on Thursday, no one is expecting the Asian powers to become instant partners, or even to manage a major reconciliation. But in the age of Trump, both are looking for a little more normality.

“Both sides need each other,” said Yu Tiejun, a Japan expert at Peking University. “They need to improve relations as a response to the uncertainty brought about by Trump in Asia. This is a good beginning — better than a deterioration.”

Neither side is expecting miracles. The countries are strategic rivals, each trying to promote itself as the partner of choice for less powerful Asian nations. And their bloody history, dating back to World War II and before, remains a major obstacle.

As many as 500 Japanese businesspeople are expected to accompany Abe to Beijing, a signal that both sides want the trading relationship to keep growing.