Beijing and Tokyo pledged to moderate their multiple sources of friction to “coexist peacefully” as Chinese President Xi Jinping met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for the first time in a year.
The two leaders held talks on Friday morning on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in San Francisco, as Xi continued a charm offensive to shore up ties with Indo-Pacific leaders, including US President Joe Biden.
Observers said Xi’s meeting with Kishida was particularly important for both countries, and for regional stability since Beijing’s relations with Tokyo were “even more complex” than the deeply strained Sino-US ties.
In opening remarks, Xi said both countries should “properly handle differences” and reaffirm their strategic ties, while Kishida said they should work together and “coexist and prosper as neighbours”, despite their differences.
“I want to work with you to create a brighter future for Japan-China ties for the sake of the next generation,” Kishida said. “I am looking forward to frank talks.”
According to Chinese state television, Xi said bilateral ties “have generally maintained a momentum of development”, despite ups and downs over the past 45 years.
“At present, the international situation is intertwined with chaos and events, and risks and challenges emerge one after another,” he said.
“Both sides should grasp the general trend of history … focus on common interests, properly handle differences, abide by the principles set out in the four political documents between China and Japan, reaffirm the positioning of the strategic mutually beneficial relationship and give it new meaning, and strive to build a Sino-Japanese relationship that meets the requirements of the new era,” he was quoted as saying.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said bilateral ties “have generally maintained a momentum of development”, despite ups and downs, during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Photo: Kyodo
Their encounter came a day after Xi, on his first US trip in more than six years, agreed with Biden to steady US-China relations, resume military-to-military communications and cooperate on fentanyl and climate change.
University, said Xi’s meeting with Kishida occurred because China and the US had managed to hold the first leadership summit in a year and reach some important consensus to stabilise ties. “Against this backdrop, Japan also needs to moderate ties with China,” he said.
But according to Liu, Japan’s stance, which he described as increasingly hostile and anti-China, was unlikely to change, especially on sensitive issues such as the disputed Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, and Taiwan, despite the softening of language in the lead-up to the Xi-Kishida meeting.
“It’s more of a tactical change after China and the US tried to ease their tensions,” he said.
Kishida and Xi last met during the Apec meeting in Bangkok a year ago in what had been the first face-to-face meeting between leaders of the two countries in three years. But despite their intentions to mend ties, relations between the Asian rivals continued to decline, particularly after the Kishida administration unveiled Japan’s new defence strategy in December, setting a more assertive tone for Japan’s China policy.
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In recent months, Tokyo has moved closer to Washington on issues like Taiwan and export bans on chips, and it has repaired ties with Seoul to form a de facto trilateral military alliance to fend off possible threats from China. Both countries have blamed each other for the escalating tensions over the disputed waters in the East China Sea.
During the Friday meeting, Kishida urged Xi to immediately drop bans on Japanese seafood imports imposed after the Fukushima water release.
“Regarding the discharge of treated … water into the ocean, I strongly demanded a calm response based on scientific evidence and the immediate removal of restrictions on imports of Japanese food products,” Kishida said after the meeting.