TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said today he had been formally invited to visit China and would do so at “an appropriate time”, as the regional powers try to warm ties. Chinese premier Li Keqiang is in Tokyo for talks on North Korea and bilateral ties, a month after the two Asian rivals pledged a “new starting point” for relations.
“As we mark the 40th anniversary of the Japan-China peace and friendship treaty this year, I wish to build a relationship where leaders can easily visit each other,” Abe said after talks with Li.
“Premier Li offered an invitation for me to visit China. I expressed my gratitude and said I look forward to visiting China at an appropriate time.”
Abe has visited China for regional summits in recent years, holding talks on the sidelines of APEC meetings with President Xi Jinping. But the last official visit by a Japanese prime minister to Beijing was in 2011, when Yoshihiko Noda met President Hu Jintao.
Relations between the two countries soured in 2012. Plans for reciprocal visits by Abe and Xi have been in the works for some time, but Li’s invitation appeared to be the first formal signal.
