Summit between Chinese and Japanese leaders more likely after smooth envoy visit but mistrust remains, say analysts

A summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ­appears more likely following the visit to China by Japanese envoy Fumio Kishida, but areas of mistrust remain, observers say.

In the three-day visit that ended on Sunday, both nations showed they were on track to stabilise ties, with Kishida given a high-level reception and a meeting with Premier Li Keqiang.

Kishida’s Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, might visit Japan – which would be the first such trip by a Chinese foreign minister since November 2009 – paving the way for further high-level exchanges between the two nations, observers said.

Beijing rolls out red carpet for Japan Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida

Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani was exploring the possibility of visiting Beijing to hold talks with his counterpart Chang Wanquan this summer, but China remained cautious, Kyodo reported, citing sources familiar with bilateral ­relations.

Kishida said the visit was a positive gesture on both sides and had helped bilateral ties. He called for collaboration with China on areas such as finance, energy, tourism and disaster relief, Japanese officials said following his talks with Li, Wang and State Councillor Yang Jiechi.

His trip came after a series of confrontations between the two countries, with the latest one seeing Beijing deliver a strongly worded response to a G7 meeting in Japan after the bloc issued a statement expressing concern over recent developments in the East and South China seas.

Analysts said the two sides, which share US$300 billion in annual trade, had an interest in maintaining high-level dialogue amid slowing economic growth.