Behind Hospitality to Pro-China Delegation

To balance the relationship with China, Chairman of General Council in Liberal Democratic Party, Toshihiro Nikai, visited Beijing, leading large delegation of three thousand business leaders on tourism. Surprisingly enough, Chinese government welcomed Nikai with extraordinarily warm hospitality. This was not about improving bilateral relationship with Japan. It should be recognized as an effort to drive a wedge between Japan and United States.

Before leaving Japan on Wednesday, Nikai was not sure how high the class of Chinese officials he would be able to meet in Beijing. It was few hours before when he realized that Chinese President Xi Jinping would attend the dinner and make a speech to the delegation.

Xi’s speech had certain significance in terms of expressing his willingness to improve relationship with Japan. “In my home town Xi’an, there were a number of Japanese envoys or students and one of them, Nakamaro Abe, cultivated deep friendship with Chinese prominent poets like Li Bai or Wan Wei,” told Xi to the Japanese delegation in a room of People’s Congress. Quoting the name of Abe, though it was a name of official envoy from Japan in eighth century, indicated Xi’s willingness to return to a principle strategic mutual reciprocity between the two nations.

Reference to ancient Japan-China relationship was obviously an attempt to emphasize unusually long history of both nations. Hospitality to the leaders of private sectors did not contradict traditional principle of Chinese Communist Party that people in Japan were also victims of Japanese militarism. To internal frustration against Japan, Chinese government is planning to have a ceremony to cerebrate victory against Japan and fascism. Dualism between internal policy and diplomacy is still active in Chinese regime.

It is possible for Beijing to have thought that improving the relationship with Japan can work for frustrating United States. In the time that U.S. is getting nervous on Chinese land fill in Spratly Islands in South China Sea, closer relationship between Japan and China would make Japan more self-restraint in supporting U.S. That may be the expectation of China.

Prime Minister Abe has not made his standpoint clear on having better relationship with China. Now, he focuses on passing the security bills to reinforce alliance with U.S. But, being caught up in the confrontation of two great powers is the worst scenario for the existence of Japan. Like Poland, removal from world map is nightmare for Japan.