As Japan’s Suga bows out, Chinese hopes of a reset rise with Kishida. But will the ‘dove’ deliver?

Fumio Kishida’s victory over right-wing party rivals brought cheer to Beijing, which described him as ‘the best possible option’ for China

While Kishida belongs to a dovish faction, his hardline campaign stance has raised worries about the lingering influence of China hawks Abe and Aso

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Published: 8:00pm, 4 Oct 2021Updated: 9:45pm, 4 Oct 2021

When Yoshihide Suga was elected prime minister of Japan a year ago, China was quick to voice hope that it represented an opportunity for the Asian arch rivals to mend ties. And Chinese leader Xi Jinping reached out to convey the message, in a phone call less than 10 days after Suga took office.

But it soon appeared that Suga, the right-hand man of his predecessor and strongman Shinzo Abe, had other priorities to tend to – effectively preferring Washington over Beijing.

In a slew of moves aimed at Beijing, Suga chose for his first overseas trip a visit to Vietnam, a vocal critic of China in the South China Sea dispute, while Tokyo hosted a ministerial meeting of a US-led quadrilateral security grouping targeting China.

The four-way pact, also including India and Australia, known as the Quad, has been slammed by Beijing as Asia’s mini-Nato aimed at containing China.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (right) and his then Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc wave to children during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on October 19, 2020. Photo: Reuters

But now, with Suga bowing out after just a year at the helm, hopes for a reset in bilateral ties have been rekindled in Beijing, though there is an air of caution over how much difference new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida could make.

The Chinese foreign ministry has said Beijing is ready to “promote the sound and stable development of relations” with the former Japanese foreign minister. State-controlled broadcaster CGTN described Kishida as “the best possible option for Beijing” among the top contenders for the job and said his election may bring about “a course correction” in China-Japan relations.