Sino-Japanese relations continue to stagnate: Visits by members of parliament to China have yielded little results, making it unclear whether a summit meeting will be held

There are no signs of improvement in Japan-China relations, which have cooled since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments regarding the Taiwan emergency. A bipartisan group of parliamentarians was invited to meet with Chinese Communist Party officials, but no concrete results were achieved. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit will be held in China in November. The Prime Minister has expressed his desire to hold a summit meeting with President Xi Jinping, but it is unclear whether this will happen.

"We remain consistent in our policy of building a constructive and stable relationship with China. We are looking forward to APEC." At a press conference on July 27, the Prime Minister sent a message of encouragement to Mr. Xi. However, there has been little response from China, which is said to have "planned to keep its distance during the Takaichi administration" (according to a Japanese and Chinese diplomatic source).

Until now, parliamentary diplomacy has provided support when dialogue at the government level was difficult. However, the framework of the Japan-China Ruling Party Exchange Council between the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, and the Chinese Communist Party was discontinued with Komeito's withdrawal from the coalition. The nonpartisan Japan-China Friendship Parliamentary League (chairman: Yutaka Moriyama, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party) had arranged for a visit to China in May, but the plan was scuttled after Self-Defense Forces invaded the grounds of the Chinese embassy in Japan in March. He will continue to seek talks with Chinese Communist Party officials, with a view to visiting China by the end of the year.

Under these circumstances, a cross-party delegation of parliamentarians, including Shinichi Isa, chairman of the Public Affairs Committee of the Centrist Reform Coalition, visited China at the invitation of the Central External Liaison Department (CCP), which is in charge of the Chinese Communist Party's foreign affairs. According to Liberal Democratic Party officials, Lieutenant General Liu Hai-xing did not appear and no dinner party was held.

Vice Minister Lu Kang, who responded on behalf of Mr. Liu, declared that unless Mr. Gaoichi's statements and perceptions regarding Taiwan change, ``China has no intention of changing its policy.'' A source close to Japan and China pointed out, ``Exchanges between parliamentarians will help create an atmosphere, but the essence is to find a way out through negotiations between the governments.''

From now on, the Japanese government plans to make full-fledged moves towards holding an APEC summit meeting. Considering China's position as the host country, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official expressed their expectations, saying, ``Japan is always open.'' However, it will not be easy for Japan to change its Taiwan policy. A senior official of the Japan-China Parliamentary Federation is pessimistic, saying, ``Even if there is contact between the leaders, it will likely remain at a ceremonial level.''