By Ankit Panda
Xi Jinping and Shinzo Abe have remarkably similar visions for their countries and personal histories.
Bilateral relations between China and Japan are at an all-time low after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in late December, a month after China declared a controversial Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea. A year prior, each country saw a new leader rise to the fore – Abe was elected Prime Minister in December 2012, and Xi Jinping was formally inaugurated as General Secretary of the CCP in November 2012. While the two might not agree on anything, their political personalities and histories seem awfully similar.
At their cores, both Xi Jinping and Shinzo Abe are scions of powerful political families and both carry strong nationalistic streaks. Both have a grand vision for their countries: Abe is out to return Japan to its halcyon days as a global economic heavyweight, and Xi, aware of the challenges facing a rising China, is out to manage an era of careful reform and modernization. These visions don’t end with economic policy – they permeate foreign policy and diplomacy as well.
Read the full story at The Diplomat