China, Japan settle for quiet diplomacy to cool tensions
25 Jan 2013 7:46 AM IST
After months of rocky relationship leading the two nations to the brink of military hostilities over the disputed islands, China and Japan on Thursday settled for quiet diplomacy to cool down the tensions and normalise the relations.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the New Komeito Party (NKP), an influential partner in the new Japanese government headed by Shinzou Abe, and discussed measures to improve relations.
Yamaguchi is the first top Japanese leader to visit Beijing after the hostilities broke out between the two in September last year.
‘You come to China for the visit at an important time of Sino-Japanese relationship. We hope the tour contribute to maintaining and pushing forward the ties,’ Yang told Yamaguchi, extending welcome for the visit, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Yang said the NKP which follows a friendly policy towards China, is an important force in Japan and plays a role in improving China-Japan relation.
Yamaguchi said the aim of his tour is to hand a letter of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Earlier reports said in his letter to Xi, Abe reported evinced interest in bringing down the tensions and improving trade relations, which in 2011 resulted in USD 345 billon bilateral trade.
This is the first high level meeting between Chinese and Japanese leaders.
China calls the islands in East China Sea as Diaoyu and Japan, which had administrative control on them purportedly plush with oil and gas resources.
Since then, China, which claims them as its ancient territory, pressed its surveillance ships and later planes challenging Japanese control over it.
Taiwan, which China terms as its part, also challenged Japanese control staking its claim to the islands.
China's stand resulted in massive demonstrations all over the country with called for boycott of Japanese goods leading to drop in business number of Japanese firms including leading automobile companies like Toyota and Nissan.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the New Komeito Party (NKP), an influential partner in the new Japanese government headed by Shinzou Abe, and discussed measures to improve relations.
Yamaguchi is the first top Japanese leader to visit Beijing after the hostilities broke out between the two in September last year.
‘You come to China for the visit at an important time of Sino-Japanese relationship. We hope the tour contribute to maintaining and pushing forward the ties,’ Yang told Yamaguchi, extending welcome for the visit, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Yang said the NKP which follows a friendly policy towards China, is an important force in Japan and plays a role in improving China-Japan relation.
Yamaguchi said the aim of his tour is to hand a letter of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Earlier reports said in his letter to Xi, Abe reported evinced interest in bringing down the tensions and improving trade relations, which in 2011 resulted in USD 345 billon bilateral trade.
This is the first high level meeting between Chinese and Japanese leaders.
China calls the islands in East China Sea as Diaoyu and Japan, which had administrative control on them purportedly plush with oil and gas resources.
Since then, China, which claims them as its ancient territory, pressed its surveillance ships and later planes challenging Japanese control over it.
Taiwan, which China terms as its part, also challenged Japanese control staking its claim to the islands.
China's stand resulted in massive demonstrations all over the country with called for boycott of Japanese goods leading to drop in business number of Japanese firms including leading automobile companies like Toyota and Nissan.
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