Taiwan is glad to see improving relations between China and Japan, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
Abe arrived in Beijing yesterday afternoon, the first time a Japanese prime minister has visited China since 2011.
The visit comes as the two countries mark the 40th anniversary of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
Analysts said the visit caps an improvement in once chilly Sino-Japanese ties.
Asked to comment on Abe’s historic three-day visit to China, Taiwan-Japan Relations Association Deputy Secretary-General Hsieh Bor-huei (謝柏輝) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday that the government was paying close attention to developments.
The ministry is in close contact with Japan over Abe’s visit and Japan would brief Taiwanese officials on the results of the summit, he added.
According to the information he has, the two sides would discuss political and security issues, including an invitation from Japan for Xi to attend the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, in June next year, and bilateral cooperation on finance, Hsieh said.
North Korea’s nuclear program, abductions of Japanese citizens and the East China Sea are also expected to be discussed at the meeting between Abe and Xi, Hsieh said.
The ministry is glad to see the improvement in ties between Japan and China, Hsieh said, adding that such a development is helpful to regional peace and stability.
The Japanese side has repeatedly affirmed that the thaw in Sino-Japanese ties will not come at the expense of Tokyo’s cordial relations with Taipei, Hsieh said.
Japan has pledged to continue to enhance its already-strong relations with Taiwan, he added.
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