MFA SAYS PM ABE VISIT WILL SMOOTH COURSE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 021713

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/13/2016
TAGS: PREL CH JA KN
SUBJECT: MFA SAYS PM ABE VISIT WILL SMOOTH COURSE OF
JAPAN-CHINA RELATIONS BY ENDING FREEZE ON SUMMITS

REF: A. BEIJING 20679

B. TOKYO 5822

C. TOKYO 5940

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Daniel Shields.
Reasons 1.4 (b/d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's October
8-9 China visit marks the renewal of Japan-China leadership
summits and will therefore smooth the future course of
bilateral relations, MFA officials told us. The October 8
joint press communiqu for the PM Abe visit marked the first
time China and Japan signed off on a common bilateral
statement on DPRK issues. China did not agree, however, to
Japan's proposal to address in the joint press communiqu
Japan's desire for a permanent seat on the UN Security
Council or the issue of DPRK abductions of Japanese.
President Hu will meet PM Abe at November's APEC Leaders
Meeting and Premier Wen will meet PM Abe in connection with
December's ASEAN-related meetings. China and Japan are
already planning for a Hu visit to Tokyo some time in 2007
and a Wen visit to Japan some time after the Hu visit. Tokyo
gave Beijing two-hours advance notice of its announcement of
new sanctions on the DPRK. The MFA denied reports that China
plans to send to Tokyo an envoy to discuss the DPRK's claimed
nuclear test. END SUMMARY.

Summits Will Smooth the Handling of Bilateral Issues
-------------- --------------


2. (C) PM Shinzo Abe's October 8-9 visit to Beijing will
significantly improve the tone of the relationship and the
manner of dealing with bilateral issues, MFA Counselor for
Japan Affairs Hong Xiaoyong told Polmincouns October 12.
Although disputes will surely continue, PM Abe's visit ends a
five-year freeze on leadership summits connected with former
PM Koizumi's visits to Yasukuni Shrine, he said. Hong noted
that Beijing and Tokyo will be better able to manage a range
of issues now that their leaders are talking directly.
Discussions over resources in the East China Sea are expected
to improve. The October 8 joint press communiqu for the PM
Abe visit marked the first time China and Japan signed off on
a common bilateral statement on DPRK issues, Hong said.
Similarly, Beijing and Tokyo's cooperation in areas such as
energy, intellectual property protection, the environment and
high technology exchange had been lagging pending resolution
of the "political obstacles" that had prevented leadership
Summits, Hong stated, adding that this cooperation should
improve now.


3. (C) China did not agree to include in the joint press
communiqu some of the topics that Japan wanted included in
the communiqu, according to Hong. History issues were
addressed in general, but some details of bilateral
discussions on the Yasukuni Shrine issue were too sensitive
for such a communiqu, he said. In meetings with President
Hu, PM Abe raised Japan's desire for a permanent seat on the
UN Security Council. China's position is that it is too soon
to say what type of UN reform will occur or whether China
could support Japan's bid, Hong said. Similarly, Japan
raised the issue of abductions of its citizens by the DPRK,
but China felt that inclusion of such a Japanese "domestic"
issue in the joint communiqu would be "unbalanced." China
sees the nuclear issue as much more important than the
abductions issue. China commented positively in the joint
communiqu on the fact that "the Japanese side stressed that
Japan had been pursuing and would continue to pursue the
route of a peaceful country more than 60 years ago." Hong
said the MFA is presenting this language to those in China
with anti-Japan sentiments as a way of encouraging Japan to
avoid militarism.

Leaders' Meetings at APEC, ASEAN-related Meetings
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Chinese and Japanese leaders agreed to meet
frequently in future, Hong said. President Hu will meet PM
Abe during the November APEC Leaders' Summit in Hanoi.
Premier Wen will meet PM Abe at the December ASEAN-related
meetings in Cebu. China, Japan and South Korea will hold a
formal Trilateral Meeting chaired by Premier Wen on the
margins of the East Asia Summit in Cebu. China and Japan are
already planning for a Hu visit to Tokyo some time in 2007
and a Wen visit to Japan after the Hu visit, Hong said.


5. (C) In addition to leaders' meetings, Chinese Communist

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Party International Department head Wang Jiarui will travel
to Tokyo later this month for a political party exchange,
while Japanese scholars will visit Qingdao next week for a
meeting of the non-governmental Japan-China Friendship
Committee for the 21st Century, headed by China Reform Forum
scholar Zheng Bijian and Fuji Xerox chairman Yotaro
Kobayashi.

DPRK: Tokyo Notifies PRC on DPRK Sanctions
--------------


6. (C) Tokyo gave Beijing two-hours advance notice before it
announced its new sanctions on the DPRK in response to North
Korea's claimed nuclear test. Hong denied reports that China
plans to send a special envoy to Tokyo on the issue of the
DPRK's claimed nuclear test.
Randt