Japan's Suga to Meet China's Wang Yi Today... No Discussion Expected on Xi Jinping's Visit to Japan

Meeting with Foreign Minister Motegi the day before
Asahi: "Japan closely watches US Biden's China policy"

The king visiting Japan is the State Councilor and Foreign Minister in charge of Chinese diplomacy.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 25th, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will hold talks with Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister, who is visiting Japan. It is reported that there is a high possibility that concrete discussions regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping's highly anticipated state visit to Japan will not take place.

According to NHK and other sources, Foreign Minister Wang visited Japan the previous day and met with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, and on this day, he will hold talks with Prime Minister Suga. Since the launch of the Suga Cabinet on September 16, this is the first visit to Japan by a senior Chinese government official, represented by Foreign Minister Wang.

At the China-Japan foreign ministers' meeting held the previous day, the core agenda was the response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). The two ministers confirmed cooperation in responding to COVID-19 and agreed to resume business exchanges between the two countries as part of easing entry restrictions. Additionally, they confirmed differences in opinion regarding the Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu Islands in Chinese), which are subject to territorial disputes. NHK reported that Foreign Minister Motegi conveyed concerns about the recent situation in Hong Kong to Foreign Minister Wang and requested a transparent explanation of China's governance policies in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The issue of President Xi's visit to Japan was not raised as an agenda item at the foreign ministers' meeting, nor was it mentioned separately at the joint press conference. The Asahi Shimbun reported that the Japanese government stated there was "no interaction" regarding President Xi's state visit to Japan. China and Japan initially planned President Xi's state visit for April this year and coordinated specific schedules and agendas, but both countries decided to postpone it in early March due to the spread of COVID-19.

Regarding this, Asahi reported that the Suga administration has not clearly expressed an attitude to promote improvement in China-Japan relations and is conscious of the United States. A senior official of the Suga Cabinet said, "The United States is a major variable when considering the Japan-China relationship equation," implying that they are closely watching the China policy of the upcoming Joe Biden administration.

Accordingly, it is highly likely that concrete discussions about President Xi's visit will not take place even in the talks between Prime Minister Suga and Foreign Minister Wang. After meeting Prime Minister Suga on this day, Foreign Minister Wang will visit South Korea.