Crisis control should be the top priority in Sino-Japanese relations.
There is no doubt the current Sino-Japanese relationship is in deep trouble. Since Japan decided to nationalize Diaoyu/Senkaku islands in 2012, China and Japan have been in a very cold political relationship, which has also negatively affected their economic relationship. Before 2012, many analysts used the term “hot economics, cold politics” to describe Sino-Japanese relations; but after 2012 it gradually became “cold economics, cold politics,” though the bilateral economic relationship is still solid overall.
How can the two countries get out of this “double cold” trap? Many have put their hope on the upcoming possible Xi-Abe meeting at APEC next month. Although it is true that a Xi-Abe meeting, if realized, would bring some concrete benefits to Sino-Japanese relations, we should not expect too much from such a meeting for a set of reasons.
A big achievement of the Xi-Abe meeting, if realized, might be on the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands dispute. After all, it is this dispute back in 2012 that dragged Sino-Japanese relations into a big hole; thus it is only reasonable that both sides want to restore their relationship by reaching some kind of understanding on the Diaoyu/Senkaku dispute. According to some reports, Japan might make some concessions by acknowledging that there is in fact a dispute over the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands, though Japan would insist that the islands are still Japanese territory. Of course, one needs to be careful here not to expect too much from Japan; still, China would be able to declare some kind of victory if Japan in one way or another admits that there is a dispute. This would be a positive step towards an eventual peaceful resolution of the dispute in the future.
Read the full story at The Diplomat