Japan’s Deputy FM Seeks to Mend Relations with China in Diplomatic Visit
Local Editor
Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki will visit China on Monday and Tuesday for talks with senior officials to remedy relations.
Abe has been signaling a desire for dialogue even though Japan has raised its assessment of the risk of China's military buildup and maritime assertiveness.
On Sunday, Isao Iijima, a senior adviser to the Japanese premier, told reporters that Abe could hold a summit soon with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"As Prime Minister Abe has repeatedly said, he wants a mutually beneficial, strategic relationship and the door is always open for dialogue," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference on Monday.
"However, there is no immediate schedule for a leadership summit," Suga added.
"Vice Minister Saiki will visit China on July 29-30 and exchange views with Chinese officials," a Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said.
China's Foreign Ministry responded to Abe's overture on Friday by saying its door was always open for talks but that the problem lay in Japan's attitude.
Japan should "stop using empty slogans about so-called dialogue to gloss over disagreements," the ministry said in a statement faxed to Reuters.
"It's not a breakthrough yet, but we are hopefully making some progress," said Kunihiko Miyake, a former diplomat close to Abe who is now research director at the Canon Institute for Global Studies in Tokyo.
Source: Reuters, edited by website team
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