/ world today news/ Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in San Francisco on the sidelines of the 30th ATIS meeting, reaffirming the position of comprehensive progress of strategic and mutually beneficial relations between Beijing and Tokyo and stressed that their foundation should not be damaged or shaken, especially when it comes to important principled positions related to history and Taiwan.
Both sides should focus on common interests, deal properly with differences and adhere to the principles outlined in the four political documents between China and Japan, Xi said.
The meeting between Xi and Kishida came at a time when, experts say, Japan is losing strategic autonomy in its China policy, showing a tendency to follow the US, and this is leading to a steady accumulation of structural problems between the two countries. The longer this situation continues, the more important it becomes to maintain a high-level dialogue, and the latest meeting between the leaders of the two countries played an important role in stabilizing the overall bilateral relationship, experts believe.
The meeting in San Francisco marks the first high-level dialogue between leaders of the two countries since November 2022 in Bangkok.
“Currently, the international situation is subject to many changes, and risks and challenges appear one after another. Peaceful coexistence, lasting friendship, mutually beneficial cooperation and common development are the right direction that serves the core interests of the Chinese and Japanese peoples,” Xi told Kishida. “Both sides should understand the general trend of history, keep pace with it, focus on common interests, deal properly with differences, and abide by the principles set forth in the four political documents between China and Japan,” the Chinese added leader during the meeting.
Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported that despite differences between Japan and China over security and the ban on imports of Japanese marine products, the reaffirmation of strategic and mutually beneficial relations aims to continue dialogue and cooperation in areas such as the economy and climate change in order to guarantee the interests of both parties.
“China’s and Japan’s concerns diverge widely, with Tokyo focusing on specific ‘pending issues’ such as the ban on Japanese seafood imports into China, and Beijing worried about Japan’s negative actions related to Taiwan, maritime issues, military security , as well as Japan’s highly biased perception and strategic positioning vis-à-vis China,” said Xiang Haoyu, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies.
“Against this background, the reaffirmation of the strategic and mutually beneficial relationship serves as a call for Tokyo to treat Sino-Japanese relations from a strategic height and long-term perspective, adhering to the direction of mutually beneficial cooperation.” Isolated contentious issues should not prevent parties from losing sight of the bigger picture. It is essential for Japan to adapt to the new situation, correct biased strategic thinking towards China, and create conditions for solving the specific problems by increasing political trust and security confidence,” the expert points out.
The meeting between Xi and Kishida also confirmed the willingness of both sides to adhere to the principles laid down in the four joint policy documents. Xia Haoyu explained that “the core spirit of the four policy documents between China and Japan is, first, for Japan to deal properly with important sensitive issues such as history and Taiwan, and second, for China and Japan to adhere to a relationship of ‘partners for mutual cooperation that do not pose a threat to each other’.
Judging by Japan’s policy towards China in recent years, there have been a series of negative actions that violate and trample on these basic principles, leading to the deterioration of their relationship.
“We hope that the Japanese government will take two concrete actions: first, in terms of chip export controls, Japan’s restrictive measures are stricter than those of the US and can be relaxed; second, the Kishida cabinet’s foreign policy is leaning toward the US and needs to be adjusted to maintain the balance between China and the US,” said Kiyoyuki Seguchi, director of the Canon Institute for Global Studies in Japan.
During his talk with Kishida, Xi also touched on the economic interests of China and Japan, stressing that their industrial and supply chains are deeply intertwined and it is in neither country’s interest to separate them.
A number of analysts are of the opinion that Japan’s policy towards China has traditionally followed that of the US. Kamo Tomoki, a professor at Keio University, points out that the US’s strategic approach to China has not fundamentally changed, and Japan is likely to follow suit. “Whether we are discussing the current China-US relationship or the China-Japan relationship, the idea of ’reaching a tipping point’ is still premature. The continued build-up of issues between Japan and China could lead to a prolonged “cooling off” period. In such a situation, there is a greater need to actively promote dialogue and mutual visits between the top leaders of the two countries,” he believes.
“The significance and impact of bilateral meetings during the ATIS Summit are significantly different for China-US relations and those between China and Japan. The Sino-US meeting, after serious preparations and a series of high-level interactions over the past few months, reached important consensus and results that have significant implications for global strategic stability. In contrast, Japan’s policy towards China in recent years has lost its strategic autonomy, increasingly demonstrating US-following and subservient characteristics in Sino-US relations. “Japan’s pursuit of a bilateral meeting with China is largely a response to the current situation, fearing that they will be ‘outdone’ by the US again,” says Xiang Haoyu.
According to the expert, at the root of the current difficulties in Sino-Japanese relations is mainly Tokyo’s anxiety about Beijing’s growing influence and feeling left out of its own great power status. This requires Japan to actively adapt to changes in the situation, timely adjust its self-perception and strategic orientation towards China. At present, however, it seems that the country is not psychologically prepared for this development and has not actively made the corresponding adjustments. On the contrary, it seeks to rely on other countries to limit China’s development, which is a strategic oversight and a serious misjudgment, Xiang Haoyu believes.
“Of course, it is difficult to expect Japan to quickly adjust its strategic direction in the current context of a continuous right-wing and conservative trend in domestic politics. For the bilateral disputes between China and Japan, the most urgent task is to strengthen strategic communication, expand dialogues and exchanges in various fields and at all levels, accelerate the readjustment of mutual understanding, and position and confirm the “bottom line” and “barriers” in relations, especially reaching a new consensus on the Taiwan and maritime issues to ensure the overall stability of Sino-Japanese relations,” the expert added.
This was somewhat outlined by Japanese Prime Minister Kishida in his conversation with Xi Jinping, when he indicated that Tokyo hopes to look to the future, strengthen high-level communication and dialogue with China, increase positive factors in bilateral relations, and adheres to peaceful coexistence. Japan has no intention of “separating or severing ties”, will continue on the path of peaceful development, and its position to resolve the Taiwan issue in accordance with the China-Japan Joint Communiqué remains unchanged.
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