As Washington and Beijing increasingly clash over global primacy, Japan¡¯s own ties with communist-ruled China are experiencing an upswing ¡ª at least on the surface ¡ª ahead of Tuesday¡¯s 70th anniversary of the People¡¯s Republic.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese leader Xi Jinping said in late June that ties have returned to a ¡°normal track,¡± as both talked up a ¡°new era of Japan-China relations¡± at the Osaka Group of 20 summit during the Chinese leader¡¯s first visit to Japan as leader. Furthermore, the two leaders agreed that Xi will visit Japan again next spring ¡ª this time as a state guest.
The display has stood in stark contrast to the famously icy handshake in 2014 between the two Asian rivals, which highlighted how chilly relations between the world¡¯s second- and third-largest economies had become. That handshake, however, turned out to become something of a turning point, as the two leaders continued to push for a thaw, meeting several times on the sidelines of multilateral summits.
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