Abe congratulates new Chinese President Xi
Politics Mar. 15, 2013 - 07:00AM JST ( 4 )
TOKYO
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday congratulated Xi Jinping for officially becoming Chinas president, a senior Tokyo official said.
Japan wants to work with Xi in the spirit of a mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular briefing.
The Japanese government congratulates President Xi Jinping and the newly chosen leadership, Suga said.
The relationship with China is one of the most important international relationships for Japan, he said, adding that Abe sent a congratulatory message to Xi.
While Japan will not budge on its claim over Tokyo-administered islands in the East China Sea, called the Senkakus in Japan and claimed as the Diaoyus by China, Tokyo wished to work with Xi from a big-picture point of view, he added.
We have always kept our door open for dialogue with China, Suga said.
Japans relations with China, its biggest trade partner, have fallen to historic lows since Tokyo nationalised the islands last year, sparking violent street demonstrations across China.
For months, China has routinely sent ships inside the islands territorial waters, sparking tense standoffs with Japanese coast guard vessels.
Abe congratulates new Chinese President Xi ? Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion
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Sounds like a skunk visits a chicken a happy new year (Chinese proverb).
Politics Mar. 15, 2013 - 07:00AM JST ( 4 )
TOKYO
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday congratulated Xi Jinping for officially becoming Chinas president, a senior Tokyo official said.
Japan wants to work with Xi in the spirit of a mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular briefing.
The Japanese government congratulates President Xi Jinping and the newly chosen leadership, Suga said.
The relationship with China is one of the most important international relationships for Japan, he said, adding that Abe sent a congratulatory message to Xi.
While Japan will not budge on its claim over Tokyo-administered islands in the East China Sea, called the Senkakus in Japan and claimed as the Diaoyus by China, Tokyo wished to work with Xi from a big-picture point of view, he added.
We have always kept our door open for dialogue with China, Suga said.
Japans relations with China, its biggest trade partner, have fallen to historic lows since Tokyo nationalised the islands last year, sparking violent street demonstrations across China.
For months, China has routinely sent ships inside the islands territorial waters, sparking tense standoffs with Japanese coast guard vessels.
Abe congratulates new Chinese President Xi ? Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion
------------
Sounds like a skunk visits a chicken a happy new year (Chinese proverb).