During a recent meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba engaged in discussions with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on October 10. Notably, Ishiba referenced the late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. Can you elaborate on this?
According to a report from Tetsuya Ikegami of the “Daily News,” Ishiba brought up the historical visit of then-Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka to Beijing on September 25, 1972, where he and Zhou Enlai discussed the normalization of relations between Japan and China. Ishiba expressed that Tanaka was a significant political mentor for him, inspiring his decision to pursue a career in politics. He emphasized, “It is crucial for Japan and China to have discussions about future developments.”
The “Daily News” interpreted Ishiba’s comments as an indication of his intention to tackle unresolved issues between Japan and China, with a focus on improving bilateral ties for the future.
In response, Li Qiang remarked that, as President Xi Jinping has pointed out, Japan and China share a close geographical relationship. He underscored the importance of pursuing a path of peaceful coexistence, generational friendship, mutual cooperation, and joint development, aligning with the fundamental interests of both nations’ peoples. Li expressed the hope that Japan would earnestly adhere to the principles and consensus of the four political documents between the two nations, collaborate with China to steer the bilateral relationship in the right direction, safeguard the political foundation of their ties, and continuously strengthen dialogue and cooperation. He stressed the need to comprehensively advance the strategic mutual-benefit relationship between the two countries, striving to build a constructive and stable Japan-China relationship that meets the requirements of the new era.
