Editorial | Mission by Xi Jinping to Japan postponed for right reason

Often when a long-planned and eagerly anticipated summit between the leaders of two global powers is postponed weeks in advance it means there are some troublesome issues that still need to be smoothed out to ensure a successful outcome. It is a relief therefore that there is no such suggestion in the reported agreement between China and Japan to postpone President Xi Jinping’s trip to Japan for talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Sadly the coronavirus epidemic left no option. Having claimed tens of thousands of victims on the mainland, mainly in Hubei province, and killed thousands, it is now spreading in Japan.

If the visit went ahead as planned, each leader would have had large followings of officials and media, contrary to one of the cornerstones of public health advice – to avoid crowds. That would have posed difficulties for health and security officials in trying to reduce the risk of infection to a minimum.

Postponement, which came after China’s senior foreign affairs official, Yang Jiechi, visited Japan, will not affect bilateral ties. It was agreed because both sides are preoccupied with the fight to contain the epidemic. Understandably it is a disappointing setback, with Beijing and Tokyo having invested a lot in the visit politically. Evidence of this, despite speculation about a change as Japan reported a surge in Covid-19 cases, is that officials on both sides repeatedly insisted the visit would go ahead. That reflects the pivotal importance of Xi’s visit in stabilising ties that remain sensitive to reminders of Japan’s history of wartime aggression.

Ironically, the new coronavirus outbreak has actually been positive for China’s relationship with Japan. Not only did Tokyo react very quickly and generously when the virus first broke out in Wuhan, goodwill since reciprocated by China with a gift of face masks to Japan, but the two countries have also become more interdependent as their economies are both under pressure. China, Japan and South Korea are three important pillars of the global supply chain. They need to work with each other to ride out the storm of a looming pandemic. It is to be hoped that progress in the battle against the virus permits Xi’s visit to be rescheduled sooner rather than later.