ABE'S VISIT TO CHINA SIGNALS IMPROVING RELATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 005940 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2026 TAGS: PREL ECON ENRG CH JA SUBJECT: ABE'S VISIT TO CHINA SIGNALS IMPROVING RELATIONS Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reasons: 1.4 (b) (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Prime Minister SHINZO Abe's October 8 visit to Beijing was a success, according to MOFA China Division Principal Deputy Director Nomura. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao both raised the Yasukuni Shrine issue, but it did not impede discussions. Meeting one day before the DPRK's nuclear test, ABE and his Chinese interlocutors agreed that a North Korean nuclear test was unacceptable. While Japan and China reaffirmed their commitment to joint energy cooperation in the East China Sea, Nomura acknowledged that this would be a difficult issue to resolve. China briefly raised Taiwan and ABE affirmed Japan's commitment to the 1972 Japan-China Joint Communique. Japan was pleased that in the joint press statement China for the first time stated in writing that postwar Japan is a "peaceful country." PM ABE plans to meet his Chinese counterparts on the sidelines of APEC in November and the ASEAN Plus Three meeting in December. End Summary. ¶2. (C) MOFA China Division Principal Deputy Director Kosei Nomura told Embassy Tokyo Political Officer October 11 that Prime Minister Abe's October 8 visit to Beijing was a success, noting that in addition to it being Abe's first overseas trip as prime minister, it was the first China visit by a Japanese leader in five years. Japan has not held high-level talks with China since former Prime Minister Junichiro Kozumi met with Chinese President Hu Jintao in April 2005 in Jakarta on the sidelines of the Asia-Africa Summit. This time, Prime Minister ABE met individually with both President Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao for approximately one hour and 20 minutes each. ABE also met with National People's Congress Standing Committee Chairman Wu Bangguo for 40 minutes and attended a dinner reception hosted by Premier Wen. ABE thanked all three Chinese leaders for agreeing to meet with him even though it was the first day of the plenary session of the CPC Central Committee. ¶3. (C) Meeting a day before the DPRK's nuclear test, ABE and his interlocutors agreed it was unacceptable for North Korea to undertake nuclear testing, Nomura reported. ABE stressed that Japan was prepared to work with others in the Six-Party Talks process to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. ¶4. (C) Wen and Hu both raised Yasukuni Shrine with ABE in "the same tone as usual," but the issue was not an obstacle to discussions, Nomura explained. ABE assured Wen and Hu that post-war Japan is on a path of peace and stated that he plans to maintain his policy of not announcing whether he has visited, or plans to visit, Yasukuni. Japan and China agreed to establish a joint academic research group by the end of the year to discuss history, although no decisions have been made on who will participate or which historical periods will be discussed. It will be impossible to agree completely on historical issues, Nomura acknowledged, but the project will be an important step forward. ¶5. (C) Japan and China did not reach any agreement on cooperation in the East China Sea other than affirming that the area will be a "sea of cooperation" and agreeing to step-up cooperation, Nomura noted. The matter of joint energy cooperation would be one of the most difficult bilateral issues to resolve, he acknowledged. Emphasizing the positive, Japan and China agreed to focus on building a mutually beneficial relationship and improving economic ties. Asked about the outcome of Abe's visit, Nomura pointed to the joint press statement, underscoring that for the first time China stated in writing that postwar Japan is "a country of peace." It was also significant that the joint press statement made no mention of Taiwan, Nomura stated. China raised the Taiwan issue only briefly in discussions; ABE affirmed Japan's commitment to the 1972 Japan-China Communique in which Japan undertook to maintain working-level relations with Taiwan on a non-governmental basis. ¶6. (C) Asked about plans for future bilateral meetings, Nomura denied press reports claiming that Hu or Wen would visit Japan in January. He confirmed that a visit was planned for early next year but thought it highly unlikely that a visit would take place as early as January. In the meantime, ABE and President Hu agreed to meet in Vietnam on the sidelines of the APEC forum in November and is planning to meet with Premier Wen during the ASEAN Plus 3 meeting in TOKYO 00005940 002 OF 002 the Philippines in December, Nomura explained. ¶7. (C) Comment. Prime Minister Abe's surprise visit to Beijing, followed by his trip to Seoul, underscores Abe's determination to set a new course in relations with Japan's closest neighbors after several rocky years prompted by former PM Koizumi's Yasukuni Shrine visits. Beijing's red-carpet treatment of Abe, which received widespread media coverage in Japan, combined with the constructive tone of the joint statement, suggests that China is willing to give ABE a chance. SCHIEFFER