TOKYO/JAKARTA, (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a summit in Indonesia yesterday, the latest sign of a thaw between the Asian rivals that came despite an awkward diplomatic backdrop.
Abe told reporters after the meeting that the two leaders agreed to work for better relations and contribute to regional stability by promoting “mutually beneficial strategic ties”.
Noting that Sino-Japanese ties had begun to improve when he met Xi late last year, Abe said: “We want to make the improving trend in the bilateral relations solid.”
The meeting took place despite a speech at the Asian-African summit by Abe in which he warned powerful nations against imposing on the weak, an implicit reference to China. He also made an allusion to Tokyo’s remorse in the past over World War Two without issuing a fresh apology.
Earlier on Wednesday, lawmakers from Abe’s ruling party and the opposition visited a Japanese war shrine in Tokyo that is seen in China as a symbol of Tokyo’s past militarism.
Nevertheless, the two leaders met for about half an hour, signalling the desire of both nations to mend frayed ties and promote a cautious rapprochement.
“The confrontation between China and Japan has eased and China and Japan have restored their diplomatic dialogue,” said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing.
“No matter what, China and Japan don’t want to return to the previous state of fever-pitch confrontation,” Shi said.
REGIONAL TENSIONS
Tensions between Asia’s two biggest economies have flared in recent years due to feuds over wartime history, as well as territorial rows and regional rivalry.
Abe urged Xi at their meeting to work together to ease tensions in the East China Sea, where they have rival claims to tiny Japanese-controlled islets, Kyodo news agency reported.
Memories of Japan’s past military aggression run deep in China and Beijing has repeatedly urged Japan to face up to history.
In a sign that the past still rankles, Xi was quoted by state-run China National Radio as telling Abe that he “hopes the Japanese side takes seriously the concerns of its Asian neighbours and issues a positive message of facing squarely up to history”.
Abe’s stance on Japan’s wartime past is especially sensitive this year, when he plans to issue a statement marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two.