Abe's visit to Beijing ushers in concrete collaboration prospects
The main results obtained, other than a radical change in the tone of bilateral ties, were the upholding of the principle that economy and politics are "two wheels of the same cart" and commitments to build a mutual relationship "based on common strategic interests" and to block the spread of nuclear arms.
Tokyo (AsiaNews) The visit of Japan's new premier to China was a success that paves the way for concrete prospects of political and economic collaboration. Assessment in the aftermath of a meeting held on 8 October between the new Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, appears to be positive. The meeting took place in Beijing after a break of five years. North Korea's nuclear test the following day did not manage to overshadow the significance of this event which, according to the media and the protagonists themselves, was a positive development in ties between the two nations.
The visit seems to have turned out better than one would have hoped. The flag of the rising Sun, ostensibly set on fire on the streets only a year ago, waved together with the Chinese one on the main buildings of the capital.
The Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, gave the guest a red carpet welcome in the immense square outside the Great Hall of the People. Abe later had meetings with all three Chinese leaders: Wu Bangguo, chairman of the People's Committee, Wen himself and above all, the president Hu Jintao. This was on the day of the opening of the plenary session of the Communist Party's Central Committee. "It was unusual for all three leaders to meet a guest separately on such a day," wrote the Mainichi columnist.
"The wise man grasps the advantage of opportunity," says a Chinese proverb. Although China's role in ensuring the success of the meeting cannot be doubted, it is the merits of the new Japanese premier that shine, above all because he has been thoroughly preparing for the meeting for months. "The success of your visit," said Hu Jintao in a final statement, "is the result of mutual diplomatic efforts and of the firm recognition of historical realities." The obstinate visits of Koizumi to the Yasukuni shrine had impeded dialogue. Abe, then head of the cabinet, used diplomatic means to offer the Chinese his availability to remedy the situation should he become prime minister. Beijing "grabbed the opportunity".
After he became premier (26 September), Abe immediately scheduled leadership meetings with China and South Korea. Keizo Nabeshima, political analyst of The Japan Times, said: "This is unusual because most Japanese premiers choose Washington for the first meeting." Perfectly aware that dismal ties with Beijing and Seoul were the main stumbling block in Japanese diplomacy, Abe had the courage to remove this obstacle without delay. Hu Jintao recognized this: "Your visit to China as the first overseas destination, made immediately after you took office, is a sign that you give importance to the improvement and development of ties between China and Japan".
But Abe's decisive merit was that of unequivocally accepting the so-called "Murayama Declaration" (1995). In this statement, the government acknowledges the suffering inflicted by the Japanese Imperial Army on Asian nations with a war of aggression. Before becoming premier, Abe was reticent about this, saying: "We must be humble when we talk about our vision of history." Questioned in parliament a few days before his trip to China, however, he said: "I have no plans to rewrite the 1995 declaration. That declaration was approved by the then executive and remains valid for my government today."
Abe proved to be wise not only because he grasped the opportunity but because he made it productive by distinguishing personal views from government responsibilities. "As the result of our diplomatic efforts, we have overcome the political obstacles influencing bilateral relations and we are in agreement about developing them interiorly in a concrete and constant way," said Wen.
However, the new Japanese premier treated the Chinese president on equal terms, asking for reciprocity. That is, public recognition of a pacific post-war Japan and a pledge that this image will be spread among the Chinese people. With a conciliatory approach, Hu accepted the historic vision of a "Japan that has walked along the path of peace for 60 years", although he added that "he hoped for more improvement".
Foremost among the substantial results obtained was the affirmation of the principle that in reciprocal ties, economy and politics were "two wheels of the same cart". Secondly, there was the commitment to build a mutual relationship "based on common strategic interests" and not on simple friendship and collaboration, as stated in the joint declaration of the 1998 summit. The use of the adjective "strategic" by the two parties refers to a commitment to promote cooperation at global level in economy, energy and environmental protection sectors and last but not least, in blocking the spread of nuclear weapons.
Finally, with this visit, Abe paved the way for political dialogue between the two countries through reciprocal high-level visits. In fact, two further meetings at leadership level have already been planned in the short-term: one will take place in November between Abe and Hu Jintao in Vietnam (Hanoi) during the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) group summit and the other, between Abe and Wen Jiabao, will take place in the Philippines (Cebu) during a meeting of leaders of ASEAN +3 (China, Japan and South Korea).
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