China hopes new Japan's new foreign minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, will play a key role in maintaining stable ties between the two countries ahead of major events such as the 2022 Beijing Olympics, diplomats in Beijing said.
The Chinese leadership has so far expected Fumio Kishida, who was re-elected as Japan's prime minister in parliament on Wednesday after his ruling coalition won resoundingly in the general election in October, to pursue a well-balanced diplomatic strategy toward Beijing, they said.
Kishida appointed Hayashi, a former defense and education minister who heads a cross-party lawmakers' group that promotes Japan-China relations, as foreign minister, while retaining the remaining members of his original Cabinet launched last month.