FIRST JAPAN PM VISIT TO CHINA SINCE 2011
Abe, Xi to discuss how to improve economic ties
SHINZO Abe arrived in China yesterday, the first visit to the Asian giant by a Japanese prime minister since relations between the two countries soured six years ago over a territorial row.
Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss how to improve economic cooperation as the world’s second and third largest economies prepare to weather a United States onslaught of trade measures.
Japanese business is eager for increased access to China’s massive market, while Beijing is interested in Japanese technology and corporate know-how.
The visit is the first by a Japanese prime minister since 2011 and is part of a years-long process of repairing relations in the wake of a disastrous fallingout in 2012, when Tokyo “nationalised” disputed islands claimed by Beijing.
The incident prompted antiJapanese riots in China, and kicked off a frosty spell that has only recently begun to thaw.
Since an awkward 2014 encounter between Abe and Xi on the sidelines of a summit, there have been ministerial visits by both sides and a softening of rhetoric.
“Our two countries have been making continuous efforts to improve relations,” Abe said before flying here yesterday, expressing his hope that the visit would “lift bilateral relations to a new level”.
The two leaders are likely to focus on a range of potential deals, including joint investments in infrastructure in regional nations, including Indonesia and the Philippines.
Abe said they planned to discuss North Korea and territorial frictions — calling to make “the East China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation”.