Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left) on Wednesday. (Photo/Xinhua)
Second encounter sign of further thaw in tensions
Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the Bandung Conference in Indonesia on Wednesday, a sign of a further thawing of tensions since the two's meeting in Beijing late last year.[Special coverage]
Observers expressed caution over Abe's sincerity about improving ties with China and other Asian countries.
Despite hints dropped in the Japanese media of a possible meeting between Xi and Abe, the event in Jakarta was not confirmed by the Chinese government until it had already finished on Wednesday evening.
During the metting Xi stressed the need to strictly follow the spirit of the four political joint statements reached between China and Japan, so as to ensure bilateral relations develop on the right track, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Xi said that the issue of history is a major matter of principle regarding the political basis of China-Japan relations.
He added that China stands ready to expand its communications with Japan to build up mutual trust and that both nations' governments should try to persuade their people that the two nations are partners and that they pose no threat to each other.
Abe said that he agrees with Xi that the development of the two countries does not pose threats to each other and that he and his cabinet have made promises on several occasions that they will follow the Murayama Statement and honor the words of former Japanese governments on the history issue.
During a speech in 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the World War II, former Japanese prime minister Tomiichi Murayama expressed his "heartfelt apology" for Japan's "colonial rule and aggression" in Asia.
In a television interview on Monday, Abe made it clear that he would not repeat Murayama's statement. According to Kyodo News, Abe is expected to avoid apologizing for the war in his widely-anticipated speech in August to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan's defeat.
Liu Jiangyong, vice dean of the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University, said Abe does not agree with the official position upheld by Murayama and other former Japanese leaders.
"In his heart, he has never recognized Japan's past of aggression and colonial rule," Liu told the Global Times.
"He has gone so far in historical and territorial disputes, he is not likely to have a major change of attitude even though he sought to meet Xi again."
Abe on Tuesday made an offering to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which notoriously honors war criminals. On Wednesday, dozens of Japanese lawmakers also visited the shrine, despite protests from Asian countries.
Hu Lingyuan, a professor at Fudan University, said that this year presents Japan with a good opportunity to reiterate its apology to its neighbors,
"But Abe is not likely to change his denial of Japan's past unless he feels greater pressures from the international community, especially the US," Hu added.
