First Step to Improvement

Minister of Foreign Affairs Taro Kono visited China for the first time on Sunday and had a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wan Yi in Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing. In the year of fortieth anniversary of Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty, both ministers reconfirmed the importance of improving the bilateral relationship through mutual visit of both top leaders. While China exercises its global power along with relative decline of international influential power of United States, it is not going to be easy for Japan to take full initiative in diplomacy toward China.

In the first foreign ministers meeting in China these 21 months, Kono expected to reinforce the reliance through full improvement of bilateral relationship. Wan replied that improvement and development of the relationship would match the interest of both countries. They agreed on starting discussion for fixing schedule of trilateral leaders meeting in Japan with participation of Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang and President of Republic of Korea.

There have been a series of events that deteriorated the bilateral relationship, represented by Chinese military vessels’ entrance of contiguous zone around Senkaku Islands. “It is not good to bring a situation which bothers improvement of Japan-China relationship,” told Kono, requiring necessary measures not to repeat it. Wan answered to it from a unique Chinese viewpoint. Both of them reconfirmed their effort to early activation of bilateral Marine and Air Communication Mechanism.

It is likely that China sees the latest trend in relationship with Japan as positive after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed expectation to China’s global strategy of One Belt One Road last year. Under the pressure from US that decided to activate safeguard measures of World Trade Organization on photovoltaic panels produced in China, Xi Jinping administration looks like focusing on fixing deteriorated relationship with neighbor countries. Wan recognized Kono’s visit as positive sign of Japan to improve the relationship with China.

Japan needs to find breakthrough in North Korea’s nuclear and missile issue. It is apparent that effective pressure of China on Kim Jong-un regime has to be laid to prevent intimidation of North Korea with launching ballistic missile over Japan. Deterioration of relationship with China is a major weakness of international strategy in Abe administration. To make sure his reelection in the presidential election of Liberal Democratic Party this fall, Abe has to accumulate positive achievement in diplomacy toward China. But Japan is not on the position to be able to handle both One Belt One Road and deterrence against North Korea.