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Ex-Japan FM Iwaya leads ~50-member trade delegation to Beijing, seeking to break deadlock
A roughly 50-member Japanese trade promotion delegation arrived in Beijing on Sept 27, led by former Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, hoping to meet senior Chinese officials and break the bilateral diplomatic deadlock.
Why it matters
A roughly 50-member delegation from Japan's Association for the Promotion of International Trade arrived in Beijing on September 27, led by former Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya. With China-Japan ties frozen since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Taiwan-contingency remarks last year, this is a significant piece of unofficial diplomacy using trade as a door-opener.
Full report
According to Kyodo News, the roughly 50-member delegation includes Japanese corporate executives and is exploring the possibility of meeting with senior Chinese officials during their stay. The trip was originally planned for June but was postponed after the death of the association's former head, Yohei Kono.
Before departing, Iwaya told reporters at Haneda Airport: 'Especially when Japan-China relations are strained, it is important to seek a path toward improvement through dialogue.' He said the visit's purpose was to facilitate economic exchanges, and that if he had the opportunity to meet senior Chinese government officials, he would like to 'exchange views frankly.'
Bilateral relations nosedived last November after Takaichi suggested in the Diet that Japan could potentially support the United States if China attacked Taiwan; Beijing responded with trade curbs and discouraged its citizens from traveling to Japan. Analysts see both sides paving the way for a thaw ahead of China hosting the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting this November.
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