Beijing diplomat urges China and Japan to take long view on tense ties to manage friction
Liu, head of the International Department for China’s ruling Communist Party, said the current bilateral ties were “sitting at a critical juncture”, according to a statement from the department published on Wednesday.
“It is hoped that both sides will approach Sino-Japan relations from a broader and long-term perspective, enhance strategic communications and cooperation in various fields, and manage differences constructively,” Liu was quoted as saying.
He also expressed a desire for increased dialogue and exchange visits from all Japanese political factions to China to improve strategic communication and mutual understanding.
According to the Chinese statement, Nikai said the visit was intended to help improve communication between the two countries.
“We aim to foster deeper dialogue with China, promote stronger communication between related departments of both countries, and create favourable conditions for resolving differences and enhancing cooperation in politics, economy, culture, and tourism,” said Nikai, who is also the former secretary general of LDP.
The Chinese statement did not reveal what topics were discussed during the meeting, but the visiting Japanese lawmakers reportedly sought a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and were likely to touch on various topics.
These include China’s ban on Japanese seafood imports after the treated radioactive waste water was discharged into the Pacific Ocean, the reinstatement of pre-pandemic visa-free entry for short-term visits by Japanese, and the detention in China of Japanese nationals on spying charges.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, Japan’s chief government spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday he hoped the latest visit led by Nikai could further strengthen multilayered exchanges and communication between Beijing and Tokyo.
The latest visit marks the union’s first visit in five years, following a recent resurgence in party-level dialogue between the two nations.
Diplomatic experts have worried that the frequency and level of exchanges between Beijing and Tokyo have not been on par with Japanese exchanges with Western countries amid the coming LDP leadership race and the looming US presidential election in November. Next month, the LDP will hold an election for a new party president who will become the country’s next prime minister.
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In May, Liu led a delegation to Japan and agreed to restart regular discussions between the ruling parties for the first time in six years. In July, Hiroshi Moriyama, chairman of the LDP’s decision-making general council, visited China and met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who advocated for enhanced communication and cooperation.
Furthermore, Japan’s health and labour minister Keizo Takemi visited China last month, leading to an agreement between the health chiefs of both countries to cooperate on managing future infectious diseases.
Also in July, Chinese foreign vice-minister Ma Zhaoxu re-initiated the China-Japan strategic dialogue with his Japanese counterpart in Tokyo after a four-year hiatus and met Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, when the two held a “candid and in-depth” dialogue.