Key adviser to Japanese leader may meet top Chinese envoy Yang Jiechi on trip to Beijing
Shotaro Yachi tipped to meet top envoy Yang Jiechi amid push for leaders' meeting
The key foreign-policy adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will make a three-day visit to China from Friday amid ongoing efforts by the two countries to realise a meeting between their top leaders in early September.
Both governments announced Shotaro Yachi's visit to Beijing at the same time on Thursday. Yachi is expected to hold talks with State Councillor Yang Jiechi, China's top diplomat.
Yachi, a seasoned diplomat who heads the National Security Council, played a pivotal role in Abe's long-sought meeting with President Xi Jinping last November days before it took place.
He and Yang, who outranks China's foreign minister, made last-minute coordination for that first meeting and worked out a four-point statement of consensus on improving ties.
China has invited Abe to be part of a ceremony on September 3 in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war.
Xi will oversee a military parade in Tiananmen Square and deliver a speech on the date, which is regarded by China as the anniversary of its victory in its eight-year war of resistance against Japanese invaders.
Like many Western leaders, Abe has no plans to attend the parade. But he is considering visiting the Chinese capital either before or after the parade, according to officials close to the premier.