Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Heads To China Looking For Economic Common Ground
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published October 23, 2018 | 11:44 AM
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes a rare trip to China this week hoping improved relations will lead to new economic partnerships, as the two countries come under US pressure on trade.
Tokyo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Oct, 2018 ) :Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes a rare trip to China this week hoping improved relations will lead to new economic partnerships, as the two countries come under US pressure on trade.
The visit is the first by a Japanese premier since 2011 and is part of a years-long process of repairing ties 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 gradually and recently begun to thaw.
Since an awkward 2014 encounter between Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a summit, there have been ministerial visits by both sides and a softening of rhetoric.
But Abe's trip will be a test of how far the two countries have come, and the need for progress is all the more urgent as US President Donald Trump levies tariffs and rattles sabres on trade with both China and Japan.
"The trade war with the US seems like it's helping bring them together a bit," said Kristin Vekasi, assistant professor of political science at the University of Maine, and an expert on Japan-China ties.
"In that sense, they're actually on the same side... and if Japan leans away from the US because of decreased economic opportunities, there's a potential for closer ties with China," she told AFP.
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.
Abe has signalled some interest in China's massive "Belt and Road Initiative", which funds major infrastructure work, but experts said a concrete deal on Japanese participation was unlikely for now.
Both sides are keen to improve economic cooperation, with Japanese business eager for increased access to China's massive market, and Beijing interested in Japanese technology and corporate knowhow.
"Japan and China have really nicely complementary economies, and they can benefit hugely from having closer trade and investment ties," said Vekasi.
"They'll try and bring home some economic tangibles. That's generally where they've been able to successfully cooperate in the past." The two leaders may find less common ground outside of the economic realm, with tensions lingering over territorial issues.
Just days before 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.
And in September, Japan carried out its first submarine drills in the disputed South China Sea.
Japan does not border the South China Sea but has expressed concern about Chinese military activity there.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Mired in crisis, Boeing reports another loss
Session Awarding Ceremony 2024 held at Cadet College Muzaffarabad
Austrian ski great Hirscher to make comeback under Dutch flag
Pakistan, Japan agrees to convene 'Economic Policy Dialogue'
FM Dar conveys deepest sympathy on torrential rains devastation in UAE
Spain PM Sanchez says weighing resignation after wife's graft probe
Tennis: ATP/WTA Madrid Open results - 1st update
Long-lost Klimt portrait auctioned off for 30 mn euros
Osaka seals first win on clay since 2022 in Madrid
Earthquake jolts Karachi
Sindh minister orders operation after attack on police in Ghotki
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
More Stories From World
-
Football: English Championship table
2 hours ago -
Time for 'democratic transition' in Venezuela: opposition candidate to AFP
2 hours ago -
Spain's Pedro Sanchez : a risk-taker with a flair for survival
2 hours ago -
Football: French Ligue 1 table
3 hours ago -
Nadal will only play French Open if he can 'compete well'
3 hours ago -
Ukraine, Israel, TikTok: the massive aid package before US Congress
3 hours ago
-
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
3 hours ago -
Football: French Ligue 1 results
3 hours ago -
Spain PM Sanchez says weighing resignation after wife's graft probe
4 hours ago -
Long-lost Klimt portrait auctioned off for 30 mn euros
4 hours ago -
TikTok to fight US ban law in courts
5 hours ago -
Anger among Ukrainians in Poland as Kyiv halts passport renewals
5 hours ago