PM of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, and President of China, Xi Jinping, promise for a stable Japan-China relation. (Image via The Straits Times)

Suga, Xi promise stability in the region

On Friday, the newly-appointed Prime Minister (PM) of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, held a phone talk with the President of China, Xi Jinping. The outcome is that they agree to do more meetings and summits. Suga said that these high-level meetings with Xi will not only deepen the relations of the two neighboring countries but also for the sake of international society. Suga's talks with the Chinese president were his first. Over a week ago, Suga was appointed as the new PM of Japan after being elected as the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Previously in late August, the former PM, Shinzo Abe, resigned due to his health condition.

However, during the talk, there was no discussion about Xi's possibility of visiting Japan. Supposedly visiting Japan in April 2020, Xi's visit to Japan was postponed to an indefinite time due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The visit would also trigger demonstration and strident criticisms from the opposition force due to China's choking control over Hong Kong and its assertive military actions in regional seas.

Recently, Japan-China relations have improved steadily even though China is having tensions with Japan's ally, the United States (U.S). However, Japan is still against China's assertive military action in the East and South China Seas, as its guard vessels violate the border to Senkaku/Diaoyu islands, an island caught in the dispute between the two Asian countries.

Before holding talks with Xi, Suga also talked to the PM of India, Narendra Modi, and of course, stated his willingness to cooperate for a free and open Indo-Pacific region, a poke to China's military assertiveness. On Thursday, Suga also talked to the President of South Korea (S. Korea), Moon Jae-in, urging him to take action and fix the strained relations between Japan and S. Korea.

Source: https://bit.ly/2G8ewV9