A nonpartisan cross-partisan group of Japanese lawmakers is planning a September visit to China to help thaw strained bilateral relations, according to the group’s leadership. The planned trip follows a diplomatic chill triggered last November by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks regarding a potential Taiwan emergency.
Junior members belonging to a nonpartisan parliamentary group dedicated to Japan-China friendship are organizing a delegation to visit China this month, Moriyama Hiroshi, chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians’ Union, announced on Thursday.
Parliamentary Delegation Seeks Direct Dialogue in Beijing
Moriyama, a former secretary-general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters that the delegation will draw junior Diet members from both the ruling and opposition camps. The group is actively working out scheduling details and coordinating with Beijing regarding which Chinese officials the delegation will meet.
The group’s leadership also aims to arrange a subsequent visit to China for Moriyama and other senior members as soon as possible. Last month, a separate cross-party group of Japanese lawmakers traveled to China and met with Lu Kang, vice minister of the Chinese Communist Party’s International Department. Additionally, former Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who leads a prominent Japanese economic association focused on trade promotion with China, is making arrangements for a separate visit this month.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Responds to Diplomatic Outreach
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun addressed reporters at a press conference, stating that China remains willing to communicate with political figures who pursue a friendly policy toward neighboring countries and value the bilateral relationship.
“enhance mutual understanding and trust.”
Guo Jiakun, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, via Mainichi
At the same time, the Chinese government maintained pressure on Tokyo over the diplomatic dispute stemming from last November. Takaichi suggested during a Diet session that Japan could potentially support the United States if China launched an attack on Taiwan, the self-ruled democratic island claimed by Beijing. In response, Beijing implemented trade curbs and discouraged its citizens from traveling to Japan.
If the parliamentary group’s visit proceeds as planned, it will mark the first delegation dispatched by the friendship union to China since Takaichi’s remarks last November angered Beijing.
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