China and Japan should not see each other as a threat, Xi Jinping tells Shinzo Abe
- Chinese president welcomed Japanese prime minister to Beijing as relations between the two sides continue to thaw after years of tension
- While contentious issues such as the East China Sea and Japan’s wartime legacy have been put to one side for now, they have yet to be fully resolved
Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to elevate ties with the country’s neighbours to a new level on Monday, saying China and Japan should not regard each other as a threat.
In a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Xi said the two sides now had the opportunity to develop things further and that they should continue close communication.
“The world is undergoing significant changes which have never been seen over the past century. The more complicated the situation is, the more we need to stay calm strategically,” Xi said, according to a report by state news agency Xinhua.
Xi said the two nations should step up cooperation and enhance mutual trust to build a security relationship based on the principle of mutual respect, and properly handle sensitive issues.
“This should be fundamental for developing China-Japan relations for the new era, and this should not be blurred and shaken at any time,” Xi said.
“Both nations should stick to the political consensus that China and Japan are cooperative partners but not a threat. In the spirit of ‘turning competition into coordination’, China and Japan will promote the continuous development of bilateral relations along the correct track”.