China does not need to be overly concerned with the US-Japan "alliance of hope" coined by Japanese prime minister during his recent visit to the United States, says Huanqiu, the Chinese-language website of China's nationalist tabloid, the Global Times.
Abe returned to Japan on May 3 following a week-long visit to the United States that Hong Kong magazine Yazhou Zhoukan claims could affect lasting peace in the Asia-Pacific.
The focal points of Abe's visit were said to be the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the new guidelines for Japan-US defense cooperation, and Japan's approach to its "historical problems" stemming from World War II.
During the trip, Abe was presented with a landmark opportunity to address a joint meeting of Congress, where he delivered a speech expressing his "eternal condolences to the souls of all American people that were lost during World War II."
Huanqiu describes the address as a dress rehearsal for the speech Abe will deliver on Aug. 15 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender. Huanqiu added that despite expressing "deep remorse" over Japan's actions towards neighboring countries, Abe refused to apologize or address the issue of "comfort women," the estimated 200,000 Asian women who were forced into sexual slavery by occupying Japanese troops.
Upon his return, the conservative Japanese paper Yomiuri Shimbun praised Abe's visit for deepening US-Japan ties, with other domestic publications also giving the prime minister rave reviews. This will no doubt give Abe confidence for his upcoming Aug. 15 address, Huanqiu said, which will be of additional concern to a Chinese government already fixated on what Abe intends to say.
Read the full story at Want China Times