Xi Jinping’s Japan visit ‘unlikely to go ahead’ after mood turns sour towards China

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent shift on Hong Kong and growing public negativity towards China mean it is unlikely that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Tokyo will go ahead as planned this year, according to a diplomatic source.

Last month Japan reportedly declined to join four Western allies in condemning Beijing’s push for a national security law in Hong Kong, but this week Abe said Japan wanted to take the lead among the G7 nations in issuing a joint statement expressing their concerns about the legislation.

Abe was due to host Xi in April in what would have been the first visit by a Chinese president since 2008. But the trip was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and no new date has been set.

“Recent developments in Hong Kong, the Covid-19 outbreak, China’s wolf warrior diplomacy and the long-standing issue of the [disputed] Senkaku Islands, all these have contributed to the Japanese public’s very negative opinion towards China. It’s not a good time for us to welcome Xi’s visit,” a Japanese diplomat said on condition of anonymity.