Japan hosts Chinese military delegation in rare visit

As the Asian neighbors try to heal icy relations before Donald Trump returns as US president, Japan announced Tuesday that a Chinese military group was on a rare exchange visit.

According to Japan’s top government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi, Chinese People’s Liberation Army members from the Eastern Theater Command were in Japan from Monday through Friday to meet with senior Japanese defense officials and their Japanese counterparts.

According to Hayashi, the trip was planned after the defense ministers of China and Japan met in November in Laos during a regional defense conference and decided to expand personnel exchanges.

“For the first time in five years, this resumes exchanges among troops,” he told a regular press briefing.

“The promotion of mutual understanding and trust through frank communication at commanders’ level will contribute to the building of constructive and stable relations between Japan and China.

“We think this visit contributes to the peace and stability of the region,” Hayashi said.

The PLA Eastern Theater Command echoed the view.

“This visit will help enhance understanding and mutual trust between the two sides, and promote defence exchanges between China and Japan,” it said in a statement.

In addition to other problems, Japan and China have been attempting to mend their tense relations for years due to historical and geographical conflicts.

In December, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya paid a visit to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in an attempt to defuse the situation.

Japan’s farm minister is scheduled to visit China on Wednesday, while the country’s ruling MPs were also in China this week to meet with top CPC leaders.

In November, Takeo Akiba, the Japanese national security advisor, traveled to China and spoke with Wang.

The Nikkei business daily said last week that Tokyo is planning to invite Wang to Japan next month in an attempt to facilitate a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xi has not visited since becoming president except for in 2019 when he came for the Group of 20 summit in Osaka along with other world leaders.