By Clint Richards
Japan has put the ball in China’s court, and waits to see if Beijing will commit.
Japan and China have continued to circle each other since late summer, in signs that improved bilateral ties might lead to an overall drawdown in tension between Asia’s two largest economies, and which would symbolically be enshrined in a meeting of their two leaders at the upcoming APEC summit in Beijing next month. Diplomatic contact has continued over the past week, with several issues that have been in limbo for years showing signs of progress, or at least the appearance of progress. The real question is whether the last several weeks of progress has just been building in order to allow the two leaders to meet, or if their meeting will be an outgrowth of an overall trajectory toward improved relations.
For Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, there is a real political bonus in finally meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as his nationalist policies have isolated Japan from its neighbors. For Xi, a meeting would have less tangible benefits for him personally, although it could signal that he has the political capital to meet with Abe, indicating a successful consolidation of his power after months of high-level purges. However, for both countries a drawdown in tension and the resumption of normal ties (which a meeting between Xi and Abe would represent) would likely have significant economic benefits, as overall trade and Japanese investment have fallen noticeably since their troubles began in August 2012.
Read the full story at The Diplomat