Warm welcome for Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe may help ties
Former state councillor Tang Jiaxuan called on Tokyo and Beijing to take steps to improve their tense ties as he met Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe.
Former state councillor Tang Jiaxuan called on Tokyo and Beijing to take steps to improve their tense ties as he met Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe.
Tang greeted Masuzoe "on behalf of the Chinese government" when Masuzoe arrived in Beijing on Thursday for a three-day visit, a gesture seen as a bid to show Beijing's willingness to ease tensions triggered by territorial disputes in the East China Sea.
He said he hoped Masuzoe's trip would "help resume exchanges between Tokyo and Beijing", according to Kyoto News.
Both sides are aware that something detrimental may happen
Masuzoe, who is visiting at the invitation of Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun , told Tang he would report the outcome of his trip to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Masuzoe's trip is the latest local or lower-level visit between the two nations in recent weeks after high-level exchanges were put on hold following Abe's last visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine that honours Japanese war criminals. The visit prompted Beijing to name Abe an "unwelcome" person.
The Tokyo governor yesterday visited the National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest", which hosted the 2008 Olympics. Tokyo is preparing to host the 2020 Olympics.
There the governor met Wang and Li Xiaolin, president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
