According to a report by the Japanese Kyodo News on October 22, the Kansai Economic Federation announced today that it will send a delegation of the Kansai economic community to China from December 20 to 22. The report states that the Japanese delegation plans to visit Beijing and hopes to have talks with senior government officials from China. The Kansai Economic Federation stated that although Japan-China relations face difficult issues, “the Kansai economic community wishes to reaffirm the strong bonds between the two sides.”
The Gansu economic delegation was originally scheduled to visit China in October, but the visit was postponed due to Chinese notification indicating difficulties in hosting. Subsequently, the Japanese side sought to arrange a visit after China hosted the APEC summit in November. They asked for further details about the schedule again, and it is reported that China agreed to host the visit.
This will be the first visit to China in nearly two years for the Kansai economic community, following in November 2024.
In addition to the Kansai Economic Association and the Osaka Commercial Association, senior officials from commercial associations in Kyoto and Kobe also plan to participate in the delegation to China.
Last November, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the provocative statement that "Taiwan is at risk," which led to a decline in relations between Japan and China to their lowest point in a decade. Recently, Japanese lawmakers and business leaders have planned to visit China one after another.
On October 1st, the Japanese newspaper Kyodo News reported exclusively from multiple relevant sources that a delegation led by the heads of the Japan-China Economic Association, the Japan Economic Federation (KEF), and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry will visit Beijing, China in March next year. Efforts have already begun to coordinate this trip.
On September 15, the Hong Kong-based South China Post reported that Japan's series of actions were interpreted by the outside world as an attempt to break the ice in Sino-Japanese relations before the APEC summit in November. However, analysts warned that unless Japan's top officials send clearer signals, these efforts to open up diplomatic channels may have limited success.
On the same day, Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also pointed out that on September 14th, Liu Bin, assistant minister of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met with a delegation of young members from the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians Union who were visiting China. The Chinese side emphasized that the Japanese side should abide by the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, learn from historical lessons, and take practical actions to gain the trust of Asian neighbors and the international community.
