When Chinese Premier Li Keqiang smiled and clinked glasses with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a reception in Tokyo last week, it served as a reminder of just how rare these types of warm gestures have been between the Asian neighbors.
When Chinese Premier Li Keqiang smiled and clinked glasses with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a reception in Tokyo last week, it served as a reminder of just how rare these types of warm gestures have been between the Asian neighbors.
The first visit by a Chinese premier to Japan in seven years was the latest step in Beijing’s attempt to shore up fraught ties with other powers to counter escalating tensions with the U. S. It came after an equally congenial visit to Indonesia, and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s unexpected rapprochements with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
“It’s inevitable there will be differences of opinion and friction,” Li told executives at a reception marking the 40th anniversary of a friendship treaty with Japan. “But I want to maintain the overall direction of friendship, keep to the spirit of the treaty and build a bright future together,” NHK reported him as saying.
Threatened by looming trade sanctions from Washington, China is seeking support from other nations to counter U. S. pressure. A Chinese official told Bloomberg News last month that the government was considering offering major concessions on trade and investment to the European Union and countries such as Japan and Mexico. ‘Bad Situation’
“China is trying to make an opportunity out of a bad situation. The Trump administration’s moves on trade could negatively affect the Chinese economy at a time when it faces many internal challenges,” said Mary Gallagher, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Michigan. “But the U. S. has also antagonized many of its important trading partners and allies, so China is smart to try to counter the U. S.”
The shift has required China to lay aside some of its most intense foreign disputes. Chinese and Indian soldiers faced off in the Doklam region along their border last year and Beijing and Tokyo still haven’t resolved their 2012 confrontation over control of East China Sea islands that plunged relations to their lowest point in decades.
