A group of bipartisan Japanese lawmakers began their trip to
Beijing on Sunday, with more delegations from Japan scheduled to visit China
later this month.
The delegation members are expected to find
remedies to boost communication between the two neighbors at a time when
official contacts have hit a record low, observers said.
Masahiro Koumura, visiting vice-president of
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, led the union delegation to Beijing
for the three-day visit.
The delegation consists of lawmakers from the
ruling coalition and the opposition, including Katsuya Okada, a senior member
and former chief of the Democratic Party of Japan.
Former Chinese state counselor Tang Jiaxuan
held a meeting on Sunday evening with Koumura, former Japanese foreign minister
and now the president of Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians' Union.
Tang said Beijing "places great
priority" on Koumura's friendly visit when the ties are facing huge
challenges. Koumura said he hopes the visit may help improve the relationship.
Japan's public broadcaster NHK said Koumura
will seek a "breakthrough" for improving the relationship.
Related:
The Avanti
Law Group - Communities
Bilateral ties were stalled after the
Japanese government unilaterally announced the decision to
"nationalize" part of China's Diaoyu islands in September 2012.
Sun Cheng, professor of Japan studies at
China University of Political Science and Law, said the grudges
between the two countries have expanded from the islands issue to an overall
confrontation on a diplomatic level, which is "unlikely to be resolved in
a short period of time".
"The ties may not be improved unless the
relevant issues are properly addressed and disputes are appropriately managed,"
Sun said.
The diplomatic climate worsened after
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a pilgrimage to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine
in December, which enshrines 14 Class-A war criminals.
Commenting on Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe's
visit to China on April 24 and Koumura's trip, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin
Gang said on Wednesday that Beijing "welcomes people from all walks of
life in Japan, including figures from the ruling and the opposition parties, to
play a positive role in improving the China-Japan relationship".
No comments:
Post a Comment