(VOVWORLD) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began a 3-day visit to China on Thursday, the first official visit to China by a Japanese Prime Minister since 2011. The historic trip is expected to create new opportunities for bilateral economy ties and bring the two countries closer after recent tensions over maritime sovereignty.
 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, is due to meet China's President Xi Jinping in Beijing © AP |
China and Japan, the two strongest powers in the region, have always felt at odds over their past history and long-standing territorial disputes in the East China Sea. In recent years, the two countries have made efforts to ease the tension. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Xi Jinping have had bilateral meetings on the sidelines of international conferences. But Abe has not visited China since 2011 and Xi has not visited Japan since 2010.
Right time
Abe’s visit, which takes place as the two countries celebrate the 40th anniversary of the China-Japan Friendship and Peace Treaty, shows that they have put aside maritime sovereignty disputes and lay a new foundation for bilateral ties.
Following Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang’s visit to Tokyo in May, the two sides signed a number of agreements.
Due to its worsening relations with the US, China is expanding ties with other partners including Japan.
Benefits of Abe’s visit
Prior to his visit, Abe expressed his readiness to strengthen ties with China. He said Japan and China share a responsibility for peace and stability in the region. Their improved ties will also benefit the trilateral summit between Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea to be hosted by Prime Minister Abe.
The current US-China trade war has affected Japanese enterprises. Leaders of 500 Japanese businesses will accompany Prime Minister Abe to China. More than 1,000 delegates including Ministers and business leaders of the two countries will attend a forum to discuss ways to boost investment cooperation. The two sides want to restore a framework on currency swap which has been suspended since 2013 and reach an agreement on China’s loans. China is currently Japan’s biggest trade partner and Japan is China’s second biggest trade partner after the US and China’s 4th largest investor.
But the two countries are major rivals in several fields and are competing for influence in the region and the world.
They have not resolved their territorial disputes in the East China Sea which began in 2012.
It is hoped that Prime Minister Abe’s visit will thaw the chilly Japan-China ties and encourage President Xi to visit Japan next year.