Japan seeks better ties with China ahead of second Trump term
Source: VOA
December 26, 2024 4:54 PM
Japan and China are seeking to improve relations ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, but analysts say Beijing’s aggressive military activities across the Indo-Pacific region will make it hard for the sides to reduce longstanding tensions.
“Tokyo does want to have smoother ties with Beijing, given the likely tumultuousness of the U.S.-China relationship and also the global situation more broadly once Trump comes into office,” said Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore.
“However, the basic positions of both countries are too far apart, and as long as Beijing continues to make claims on the East China Sea and is demonstrating its ability to use military force to pursue those ends, it’s difficult for China and Japan to pursue a fundamental reset in bilateral relations,” he told VOA by phone. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Wednesday.
Both sides agreed to facilitate a visit by Wang to Japan in 2025 and improve relations on a basic societal level. “China and Japan should also strengthen people-to-people exchanges, consolidate public support for China-Japan friendship, and properly handle disputes and differences,” Wang said on Wednesday, adding that Tokyo should “calibrate its strategic perception” and “pursue a positive policy toward China.”
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