Abe lands to thaw Chinese ties with a bit of panda diplomacy

Shinzo Abe arrived in China yesterday, the first visit to the Asian giant by a Japanese prime minister in six years

‘A sea of peace, friendship and co-operation’: Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie depart for Beijing from Tokyo’s Haneda airport yesterday. Picture Getty Images

Japan’s 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.

Mr Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss how to improve economic co-operation as the world’s second and third largest economies prepare to weather a US 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.

Japanese media have reported Mr Abe is hoping the visit will produce a soft power win in the form of some panda diplomacy, with zoos in Sendai and Kobe apparently angling for new additions.

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 falling-out in 2012, when Tokyo “nationalised” disputed islands claimed by Beijing.

The incident prompted anti-Japanese riots in China, and kicked off a frosty spell that has only recently begun to thaw. Since an awkward 2014 encounter between Mr Abe and Mr 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,” Mr Abe said before flying to Beijing 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.

Mr Abe said they planned to discuss North Korea and territorial frictions — with the goal of making “the East China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and co-operation”. The Japanese leader, who leaves China tomorrow, will also hold talks with Premier Li Keqiang.

Just days before Mr Abe’s trip, Tokyo lodged an official complaint after Chinese ships cruised around the disputed islands that Tokyo calls the Senkaku and Beijing labels the Diaoyu islands.

Mr Abe’s three-day trip sets up the possibility that Mr Xi will visit Japan next year. China has long denounced Japan for what it says is an insufficiently contrite attitude towards its role in World War II. But ahead of the trip, Beijing has taken a more cordial stance than it has in the past.

During Mr Abe’s visit, the leaders will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the signing of a treaty between the two countries that was intended to set the tone for their relations following the war.

On Wednesday, Chinese spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China believes the countries are “duty-bound to strengthen communication and co-operation and jointly safeguard international rules and order to promote world peace and development with each undertaking its respective efforts”.

AFP