China, Japan weigh delay in Xi Jinping’s state visit to Tokyo due to coronavirus spread
- Xi’s visit initially planned for early April but ‘may be postponed until autumn’
- New coronavirus cases in China continue to slow, but rise rapidly in other countries like South Korea
The reports came as new coronavirus cases in China continued to slow, while infections in other countries rose sharply, raising concerns about a possible worldwide pandemic.
New South Korean cases exceeded those in China for a third straight day and included a 45-day-old boy. The United States, Australia and Thailand all reported their first deaths from the epidemic, while Ireland and Luxembourg reported their first confirmed cases.
Xi’s state visit to Japan had been planned for April 6-10 and, if it goes ahead, will be the first by a Chinese president since Hu Jintao in May 2008.
But Tokyo had already approached Beijing about putting off Xi’s visit, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing Japanese government sources.
“There is no chance that Xi will come to Japan in April,” a senior Japanese government official was quoted as saying.
If Xi’s visit is delayed, he will probably “visit during autumn or later”, after the Tokyo Olympics, according to the official.
The likelihood was high that Japan and China would make the final decision this week about whether to put off Xi’s visit, Kyodo reported.
The Chinese foreign ministry made no immediate comment on the reports when contacted by the South China Morning Post.
A state visit would include a meeting with Emperor Naruhito and a banquet at the Imperial Palace. Meetings with the Japanese emperor must usually be finalised a month in advance.
On Saturday, Abe said there was no change to the schedule for Xi’s visit, adding, “It will be the first visit by a Chinese president in a decade so we need to be able to show solid outcomes. From that perspective, Japan and China will closely communicate with each other.”
But stronger opposition to the visit has emerged within the government and Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, especially among conservative lawmakers who have argued that major issues ranging from China’s maritime assertiveness to the human rights situation in Hong Kong remain.
When China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, went to Tokyo last week, Japan told him that preparations for the visit were behind schedule due to the virus outbreak, sources told Kyodo.
A number of preparatory meetings between Japanese and Chinese officials have been called off as the pneumonia-causing virus spread globally from its epicentre in Wuhan, central China.
The officials have not worked out the details yet of a political document on the future of the countries’ relations to be issued by Abe and Xi, and so Japan told Yang that it was becoming difficult to secure concrete results from a meeting between the leaders, the sources said.
Yang told Japanese officials that he would convey their views to Beijing, according to the sources.
Mainland China reported 573 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, up from 427 the previous day. But only three of the new cases were reported outside Hubei, the lowest figure since January 23.
There were 35 new deaths reported in mainland China, down from 47 the previous day, taking the total death toll there to 2,870 as of Saturday, the National Health Commission said, adding that 41,625 patients had recovered.
Japan now has 242 confirmed cases of the virus, up sharply from a week ago, with five having died from Covid-19, the pneumonia-like disease that it causes.
Kyodo and Reuters
Purchase the China AI Report 2020 brought to you by SCMP Research and enjoy a 20% discount (original price US$400). This 60-page all new intelligence report gives you first-hand insights and analysis into the latest industry developments and intelligence about China AI. Get exclusive access to our webinars for continuous learning, and interact with China AI executives in live Q&A. Offer valid until 31 March 2020.
