Chinese Premier expresses intention to make 1st visit to Japan

March 20, 2018

Beijing- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Tuesday that he is considering making his first visit to Japan as premier in the first half of this year.

Li told a press conference after the closing session of the National People's Congress that recent relations between the two countries are showing clear signs of improvement.

A visit by Li would be the first since he took office in 2013.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has invited him to Japan many times, Li said, adding he will actively consider making an official visit to Japan on the sidelines of a planned summit among China, Japan and South Korea.

Mutual visits by Chinese and Japanese leaders will be helpful to put the bilateral relations back on the right track, Li said.

China and Japan will mark the 40th anniversary of the signing of their bilateral peace and friendship treaty in August.

The Japanese government has proposed holding the trilateral summit in the first half of May and realizing a visit by Li to Japan.

In the summit, Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul are seen discussing their cooperation on economic and North Korean issues.

In the bilateral talks, Abe and Li are expected to discuss how to strengthen the two countries' relations.

Tokyo hopes that Abe will visit China within this year following Li's expected trip to Japan, to pave the way for Chinese President Xi Jinping's first visit to Japan.

The Chinese government welcomes Abe's intention to cooperate in China's Belt and Road economic initiative.

A Japanese government official said that the day's remarks by Li were "very positive."

Li, however, also said that the two countries need to avoid seeing a return of the chill to the bilateral relations.

China and Japan remain far apart on the issue of the Senkaku Islands in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa, claimed by China, and history issues.

In addition, the Xi administration is concerned about the possibility that Abe may strengthen cooperation with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.

Li pointed to a need to develop China-Japan relations in a stable fashion. He called on the Abe administration to make further efforts to improve the bilateral relationship. Jiji Press