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China and Japan’s Rapprochement Continues - For Now
Yang Jiechi is set to travel to Japan this week, the latest high-level exchange in the
thawed relationship
By Eleanor Albert
May 16, 2019,
Yang Jiechi is set to visit Japan at the end of this week. Yang, a top Chinese diplomat who previously
served as state councilor for foreign affairs (2013-2018) and foreign minister (2007-2013), was
elevated to the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee at the 19th Party
Congress in late 2017. His three-day trip comes amid preparations for a possible visit by Xi Jinping
to Japan for the G-20 Summit hosted in Osaka, slated for late June, If Xi goes through with the June
trip, it will be the first by a Chinese leader to China's northeastern neighbor since Hu Jintao visited
Japan in 2010.
Preparations for Xi's first visit to Japan as head of state provide added evidence that ties between
Beijing and Tokyo are thawing. The two countries have an understandably fraught relationship, with
a contentious history and ongoing territorial disputes. However, despite the frostiness that
characterized the nature of Beijing-Tokyo exchanges in the first part of Xi’s tenure, a shift appears
underway. Diplomatic ties have been on the mend, notably since the goth anniversary of the China~
Japan peace treaty in August 2018 and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's trip to China in
October, during which he vowed to usher relations into a new, more conciliatory era.
hips: teplomal.com2019/05ichina-and japans-approchement-continuesfor-now/?alipages=yessprini=yos 49ananote Cina ane Japan's Rapprochement Contoues For Now |The Diplomat
Last month, Chinese authorities announced the replacement of Beijing’s envoy to Japan. The
personnel change may be another indication of China’s bid to improve bilateral relations. The
outgoing Chinese ambassador to Japan, Cheng Yonghua, had held his post for nearly a decade. He is
reportedly set to be replaced by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kong Xuanyou, who has extensive
diplomatic experience with Japan. In a joint interview earlier this week, Kong said, “The foundation
of China-Japan friendship lies in people.”
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‘As the two largest economies in Asia, economic ties are the most dynamic facet of the bilateral
relationship. China is Japan's most important trade partner, accounting for 19.5 percent of Japan's
exports and 23.2 percent of its imports in goods in 2018, according to data from Japan’s External
‘Trade Organization. Japan is also party to ongoing negotiations to conclude the China-led Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a multilateral trade deal that represents 50 percent
of the world’s population and 32 percent of global GDP. However, despite the mutual need for
positive economic ties, not all is copacetic. China's slowing growth is a constant concern. Separately,
.pan refrained from signing on to the Asian Investment Infrastructure Bank, has called for the
Asian Development Bank to end loans to China, and while it recently agreed to collaborate with
China on infrastructure and aid projects in Asia, Japan remains an indirect regional competitor for
China's Belt and Road Initiative.
However, the China-Japan relationship is more complex than the bilateral front suggests. The
United States continues to play a critical role in shaping dynamics between China and Japan.
‘Washington's trade war with Beijing has the potential to threaten future economic trends for all
three countries, the world’s largest economic powers. Chinese trade losses and ongoing tensions
with the United States have led Beijing to warm up to Tokyo. Despite the legacy of strong ties
between Washington and Tokyo, Japan has its own frustrations on trade and security, with the
‘Trump administration's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, hiceups in bilateral trade
negotiations, and tough rhetoric over the costs of U.S. basing agreements in Japan. Both Beijing and
Tokyo have taken advantage of ripples on the U.S. front to rekindle their bilateral ties.
Still, uncertainty remains regarding the future trajectory of the complex China-Japan relationship.
All eyes will be on Xi’s much anticipated Japan trip next month to glean whether the two neighbors
can sustain more cooperation or if icy distrust will return as the new normal.
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hips: teplomal.com2019/05ichina-and japans-approchement-continuesfor-now/?alipages=yessprini=yos 28arzno1g {China ane Japan's Rapprochement Continues ~ For Now |The Diplomat
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