China, Japan moving from competition to cooperation, leaders say
- Relationship between two countries ‘has encountered a lot of obstacles’, Xi Jinping says, but is now becoming ‘normalised’
- Tokyo, Beijing are ‘neighbours and partners … will not be a threat to each other’, Shinzo Abe says
Relations between China and Japan have overcome “obstacles” and are moving “from competition to cooperation”, the nations’ leaders said on Friday as they signed new deals to prevent military clashes at sea and boost financial and economic collaboration.
Despite a series of maritime disputes and China’s grievances over Japan’s actions during the second world war, Asia’s two biggest economies appeared to set aside their differences as China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday rolled out the red carpet for visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“Our relationship has encountered a lot of obstacles,” Xi said at the start of their talks. “It was not a smooth ride. But with our joint effort, the relationship has become more normalised. A healthy relationship between China and Japan serves the basic interests of both countries”.
Abe, who is the first Japanese prime minster to visit China for seven years, told Xi that he hoped his trip would elevate the China-Japan relationship from competition to cooperation.
“China and Japan are neighbours and partners, and we will not be a threat to each other,” he said.
Even though Abe spent just three days in China, observers said the trip was an important step in the two countries’ rapprochement, and was partly triggered by the uncertainty that has grown up around the United States’ policies in Asia since Donald Trump took over as US president.
The two Asian leaders displayed a united front on free trade as Xi called on Abe to join hands with China in upholding multilateralism and an open world economy.