China proves its sincere wish to improve ties with Japan after welcoming Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in a high-level reception led by no less than Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
According to the South China Morning Post, Li, together with Beijing's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and State Councillor Yang Jiechi, gave Kishida a "red carpet" welcome as he is the first Japanese diplomat to ever visit China in over four years.
Media from both countries saw the act as a sincere gesture to improve the current Sino-Japanese relationship, which had been tainted with the legacy of Japan's World War II aggression and the current territorial disputes in East China Sea.
Improving Ties
During the talks, Premier Li urged the Japanese envoy to stick with the current development of the two nations' relationship amid setbacks, a report from China Daily stated.
"China hopes Japan will maintain peaceful development and make real steps toward fulfilling its agreement to take up opportunities created by China's peaceful development," Li said.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang highlighted both nations' willingness to improve their relationship which he described to have dropped to low ebb.
"We have recently seen the Japanese side repeatedly expressing its hope of improving the bilateral relationship," Wang declared as quoted by Reuters. "You have also shown your willingness to take the first step. If you come with sincerity, we welcome you."
Meanwhile, the Japanese Foreign Minister described the bilateral talks with the Chinese as a "frank exchange of views," adding that the meeting had born a significant improvement in the Sino-Japanese relations.
"At this meeting we confirmed the importance of Sino-Japanese relations and agreed that both sides would strive for further improvement in ties," he said.
To continue their current course, Li suggested that the two countries "reinforce a sense of responsibility, maintain the current momentum of improvement, and undertake the task of putting bilateral ties on a normal track."
The Setbacks
Despite seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, setbacks on the development of Sino-Japanese ties are still lurking in the shadows.
Early in March, the Chinese Foreign Minister himself was uncertain of the future of the relationship between the second and third biggest economies in the world.
At the time, Wang said that the ties "had been greatly harmed due to Japanese leaders' 'mistaken' approach to historical issues," per a report from the Diplomat.
He even bluntly added that Japan had been solely to blame for the conflict between the two countries because the Japanese continue to "cause trouble" for China amid their words of peace, describing it as "a classic example of a two-faced person's methods."