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China-Japan relations
ChinaDiplomacy

China to send Wang Qishan to Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement

  • Vice-president will attend ceremony as Xi Jinping’s special envoy and will also represent Beijing at Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s inauguration
  • Analysts see it as a goodwill gesture amid thawing relations between Beijing and Tokyo

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Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan, 71, has taken on a diplomatic role since Xi Jinping began his second term in March last year. Photo: Reuters
Kinling Loin Beijing
Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan will attend Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement ceremony in Tokyo next week, the latest sign of improving ties ahead of President Xi Jinping’s expected state visit to Japan next year.
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Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang on Monday said Wang would attend the ceremony as Xi’s special envoy and he would also represent China at Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s inauguration for his second term on Sunday.

Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have been warming after they sank to a 40-year low following the Japanese government’s purchase of disputed islets in the Diaoyus – or Senkakus as they are known in Japan – in the East China Sea in 2012, sparking big protests in China, damaging trade ties and even raising fears of a military clash.

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But the turning point came last year, when Chinese Premier Li Keqiang went to Japan and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited China.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attend a signing ceremony in Beijing in October last year. Photo: EPA-EFE
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (left) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attend a signing ceremony in Beijing in October last year. Photo: EPA-EFE
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