Beijing, Tokyo See Increasing Exchanges

Japan's domestic politics, alliance with US may still hinder China ties: expert

By GT staff reporters

Jul 24, 2024 09:34 PM

China Japan Photo: IC

Beijing and Tokyo have kicked off rounds of frequent exchanges with senior Japanese officials and parliamentarians visiting China one after another. 

This seems to be another positive signal for the long-standing delicate relationship between China and Japan. However, at the same time, the trend of "turning right" in Japanese political circles and the increasingly blatant intention to work with the US to contain China are casting a shadow over the warming of bilateral relations.

On Tuesday China's top diplomat Wang Yi met with Hiroshi Moriyama, chief of the general council of Japanese Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), in Beijing, calling for strengthened communication, understanding and cooperation, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, clarified China's position and concerns regarding the ocean discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Wang also pointed out that the Taiwan question is related to the political foundation of the bilateral relations, and the Taiwan Straits is not a "political theater." The Japanese side should abide by the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, speak and act cautiously on the question, and ensure the foundation of China-Japan relations remains intact and unshakable, Wang said.

On Monday, Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, met with Banri Kaieda, vice speaker of Japan's House of Representatives, in Beijing. Zhao said the NPC of China is willing to maintain friendly exchanges with the Japanese Parliament and strengthen exchanges at all legislature levels.

Also in Japan, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu held a China-Japan Strategic Dialogue with his Japanese counterpart and met with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa. The two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on major strategic issues regarding China-Japan relations, committing themselves to building China-Japan relations in line with the requirements of the new era.

From July 17 to 19, Japanese Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Keizo Takemi visited China and met with officials from China's National Health Commission. The health chiefs of China and Japan agreed to make joint efforts to deepen exchanges between the bilateral health departments.

Those recent bilateral exchanges can be used as an opportunity to restore high-level communication between the two countries, which will undoubtedly promote cooperation in various fields, according to Chinese analysts.

It is believed that strengthening economic cooperation between China and Japan would be beneficial for both countries and the Asia-Pacific, Lü Chao, an expert on the Korean Peninsula at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

However, it is also important to "listen to their words and observe their actions" when dealing with Japan, as for some time, Japan has adopted a hostile attitude toward China, Lü noted.

Recently, the Japanese government approved the 2024 edition of the Defense White Paper, claiming that Japan is facing the " most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II," continuing to hype the "China threat" rhetoric, especially in terms of the situation in the Taiwan Straits. 

Japan has also significantly increased its military activities in the Asia-Pacific region, frequently conducting joint military exercises with the US and South Korea. 

Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday that one of their main objectives in visiting China is for the upcoming LDP presidential election in September. 

The uncertainty in the US presidential election is not conducive to Kishida's chances in the LDP presidential election, and his Cabinet's approval ratings remain low. In this context, an improvement in China-Japan relations could potentially support Kishida in gaining some support in the election, Da said. 

Another purpose of the Japanese officials' visit to China is Tokyo's pursuit of flexibility in its relations with China, seeking "limited improvement" in China-Japan relations, according to Da. 

"Regardless of Japan's intentions, whether symbolic or exploratory, sending signals of improvement in bilateral relations between China and Japan is a positive development for both countries," Da said.  

However, the fundamental tone of Japan and the US suppressing China, and continuing to marginalize and demonize China will not change, analysts warned.