CHINA-JAPAN Japan's National Security Advisor meets China's top diplomat in Beijing

Record ID: 146849

  • Title: CHINA-JAPAN Japan's National Security Advisor meets China's top diplomat in Beijing
  • Date: 16th July 2015
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (JULY 16, 2015) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** JAPAN'S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR, SHOTARO YACHI, WALKING IN AND SHAKING HANDS WITH CHINESE STATE COUNCILOR, YANG JIECHI YANG SHAKING HANDS WITH JAPANESE DELEGATES BILATERAL MEETING IN PROGRESS YANG SPEAKING YACHI LISTENING YANG SPEAKING MEETING IN PROGRESS YACHI SPEAKING YANG LISTENING YACHI
  • Embargoed: 31st July 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA8SQ8L0BZ2CAZQPKM38MOHQIBF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Japan's National Security Advisor Shotaro Yachi met China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Beijing on Thursday (July 16).
    The trip by Yachi, a close ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has fuelled speculation that a meeting between the leaders of the countries might be on the cards for as early as September.
    A successful summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping could bolster Abe's support rates, which have sagged over public doubts about his security policy.
    Yachi and Yang met to discuss "issues of mutual concern", a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said on Wednesday (July 15).
    Sino-Japanese ties, long bedevilled by China's bitter memories of Japan's wartime aggression and a row over tiny islands in the East China Sea, have improved since Abe met Chinese President Xi Jinping in November at an Asia-Pacific summit in Beijing.
    The two met for a second mini-summit in April at an Asia-African leaders' gathering in Jakarta and Japan wants to keep the emerging thaw on track, while ensuring Beijing realises the risks of an increasingly assertive maritime military policy.
    Over the weekend, Chinese state media quoted Vice Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping as saying that Xi had already invited Abe to attend events to mark the end of the war.
    Japanese government sources have said another Xi-Abe chat could well take place this year, although some said China probably first wants to see a planned statement by Abe marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
    Abe's critics worry he wants to dilute past government apologies, though he has said he will uphold them.
    China is also keeping a wary eye on Abe's push for a more muscular defence policy that would ease the pacifist constitution's constraints on military activity abroad.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register