Xi Jinping’s state visit to Japan postponed as coronavirus casts shadow over China’s agenda

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Japan has been postponed, Beijing and Tokyo said on Thursday, as concerns over the coronavirus epidemic cast a shadow over China’s diplomatic agenda. The trip – the first state visit to Japan by a Chinese president since 2008 – had been scheduled for early April but would be pushed back because of the outbreak, China’s foreign ministry said. It was not clear when the long-awaited visit would happen, but ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters the two countries would maintain close communication on the timing of Xi’s visit, without elaborating. In Tokyo, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the two nations had decided to prioritise the fight against the coronavirus. The Asian neighbours agreed the visit should take place at a better time and that a new itinerary would be arranged, Suga said, adding that the delay would not affect bilateral relations. The decision was announced as China struggles to tackle what Xi has called the country’s worst public health crisis since 1949. The new virus has killed more than 3,000 people and infected over 80,000 in mainland China since the outbreak began in the central city of Wuhan in December. It has spread to more than 60 countries in the world in every continent except Antarctica. Two of the worst-hit countries are China’s neighbours Japan and South Korea, both of which have reported a surge in new infections – Japan had more than 1,000 cases by Wednesday, while South Korea said over 6,000 people had tested positive for the virus. The announcement on Thursday ended weeks of speculation over Xi’s trip, but it casts a shadow over China’s upcoming diplomatic agenda. That includes two events due to be hosted by Beijing – the annual China-EU Summit in late March and a high-profile meeting with the leaders of Central and Eastern European countries known as the “17+1” scheduled for mid-April. Another state visit could also be rescheduled. Xi was expected to travel to South Korea in the first half of the year, but the Dong-a newspaper has reported there is a growing consensus in Seoul that the visit might have to be postponed because of the coronavirus situation. Pang Zhongying, a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said Xi’s visit may have been put back because of public sentiment in Japan, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is under fire for failing to contain the spread of the virus after the first case was confirmed there in late January. “From Japan’s perspective, this is something of a compromise,” Pang said. “The politicians are being blamed for failing to take responsibility [for the outbreak] and political legacy is something Abe needs to take into consideration.” Abe has announced that all visitors arriving from China and South Korea will be quarantined, while all schools have been told to close until early April in an effort to contain the virus. Pang said the coronavirus crisis could be a “turning point” for Beijing’s political and diplomatic agenda, especially given its growing rivalry with the United States. Unlike 17 years ago when China was tackling an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), the country – now the world’s second-largest economy – is seeking a role as a global leader, and the cost of a disruption to its political, economic and diplomatic exchanges would be huge, he said. “Seventeen years ago, the world was willing to engage with China and the West wanted China to become a responsible stakeholder on the international stage,” Pang said. “Now, tensions between China and the US are growing [in areas] from trade to technology, and China’s economy is slowing down. Even after the crisis is over, it remains unclear how soon the damage can be fixed.” 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.