Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set off for Beijing on Thursday, seeking to further cement a recovery in relations with China that were wracked by a territorial dispute six years ago.
In the first such bilateral visit in seven years, Abe is first set to mark the 40th anniversary of a peace and friendship treaty alongside Premier Li Keqiang, while on Friday he is set to hold formal talks with both Li and President Xi Jinping. The trip takes place as Asia’s two largest economies come under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump over what he has called unfair trade practices.
Abe left Tokyo around 12:30 p.m. local time and was due to arrive in Beijing within three hours.
Abe’s foreign and trade ministers and a 500-strong business delegation will accompany him to Beijing to take part in a forum on economic cooperation in third countries. As many as 50 deals are set to be signed, including one on joint city development in Thailand, the Nikkei newspaper said Thursday. Japan and China were also expected to agree to revive a currency swap arrangement that was dropped in 2013, and to jointly clamp down on market manipulation, the Yomiuri newspaper said.
Japan’s relations with its biggest trading partner turned hostile in 2012, when it nationalized part of a disputed East China Sea island chain, sparking sometimes violent protests and damaging business ties. Since taking office at the end of that year, Abe has consistently sought meetings with Chinese leaders, even as anger simmered over the territorial and other disputes.
“Japan and China have a great responsibility for the peace and prosperity of the region,” Abe told parliament the day before his visit. “I will elevate ties to a new level.”
The leaders were also likely to discuss confidence-building measures such as re-starting military exchanges and establishing a hotline to help avoid unintended military clashes.
