A series of high-level talks in Tokyo between Japan and China confirms recent developments for improving bilateral ties that had been strained over a territorial row and other matters — at one point plunging to the worst level since the two nations normalized ties in 1972. Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, agreed to expedite moves toward mutual visits by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two governments held their first high-level economic dialogue in eight years and concurred on the need to maintain the free trade system just as the protectionist policies of U.S. President Donald Trump raise the specter of a global trade war. Tokyo and Beijing should build on the momentum of these talks and continue efforts to put bilateral ties back on track.
Wang's visit to Japan was the first by a Chinese foreign minister for bilateral talks in more than eight years. Xi has yet to visit Japan since he took office five years ago. Kono and Wang reportedly confirmed that preparations should be accelerated for a trilateral meeting next month in Tokyo between Japan, China and South Korea's top leaders, including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. Steady efforts must be made to expand dialogue at all levels and fields, including private-sector exchanges, to rebuild the relations between the two countries, which this year will mark the 40th anniversary of the 1978 Japan-China Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
Japan-China relations took a nosedive in 2012 when Beijing protested the Japanese government's nationalization of the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea — which China also claims. Even today, Chinese government vessels encroach on Japan's territorial waters around the islets a few times a month to underline Beijing's claim.