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A Japanese business delegation will head to China this week, the largest since a heated territorial dispute hammered diplomatic and trade relations between the Asian giants.
Some 180 Japanese executives are to visit Beijing from Monday through Thursday with the group hoping to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping or Premier Li Keqiang, said a spokesman for the Japan-China Economic Association, which is leading the delegation.
"We have filed a request for a meeting with President Xi or Premier Li, but we have not received a confirmation yet," he added.
Among the delegation will be executives from blue-chip Japanese giants including Toyota's honorary chairman Fujio Cho, and the head of Japan's biggest business lobby group.
The annual tour, which has been running for decades, was put on ice last year as relations sank to a new low with a dispute over the ownership of an East China Sea island chain setting off riots and a consumer boycott of Japanese brands in China.
That came after Tokyo nationalised some of the archipelago, which is believed to harbor vast natural resources below its seabed.
A smaller Japanese business delegation has visited China since the long-running row flared anew last year. But next week's trip would be the largest since more than 180 executives visited in 2011.
© (c) 2013 AFP
25 Comments
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Asian2013
These businessmen will achieve very little. Japan just don't understand that people in China are refraining from buying Japanese not at the prompting of the government. They are just fed up with the present situation. All my friends and I are boycotting Japanese products despite the discounts and free gifts and we are not even Chinese nationals! We have worked and lived in China for many years and support their cause! So even if the businessmen meet the President and all the cabinet ministers and Japanese leaders continue to pray at Yasukuni, we will continue with the boycott.
Jimizo
Greed, corruption and cronyism have been the trademarks of most communist elites. They don't have to change these vices to join the capitalist elites. @Slumdog Given how the rich elites in countries like the US and UK are swallowing an ever larger portion of the pie, using the word 'People's' in the title would either be an insult or a joke.
globalwatcher
serendipitousNov. 18, 2013 - 10:07PM JST
I will not accept a COD.
serendipitous
globalwatcher
If that girlfriend buys billions of dollars worth of products from you then yes, you go after her!
BertieWooster
davestrousers,
Quite true.
None of those things define communism.
Yet they are common to China and the U.S.A.
davestrousers
None of these things define communism.
BertieWooster
hkitagawa-san,
Agreed!
So why does Abe kowtow to the Americans all the time?
Lucabrasi is right, they are easily as communist as China.
Secrecy, police state, people tortured and imprisoned without trial.
Nothing much to choose between them.
slumdog
I don't think a true communist country has ever existed or will ever exist. It goes against human nature. China is an oligarchy attempting to wear communist clothing. Which is ironic because most countries that have the words 'Democratic' or 'People's' in their names seem to care very little for either.
lucabrasi
China's barely more communist than the US these days. Filthy- rich sweatshop ownwers aren's supposed to existence, never mind thrive, under real communism.
hkitagawa
Never deal with communists.
globalwatcher
J.basherNov. 18, 2013 - 12:32PM JST
Good point, Jbasher.
Louis Tan
If the Chinese leadership is not even interested in meeting with Shinzo Abe why should they be even bothered with this bunch of business people? Dreaming again as usual?
J.basher
There are all time of cheat, fraud and out there , i have been taken for a ride by, Chinese, Japanese, Western.
Tungsten contract sign by Japanese company( not going to mention the name) came back 2 week later sorry we can't get finance, next thing i know another Japanese company come calling, my partner said it smell fishy, it is not only Chinese who cheat all type of peoples cheat.
You make a sweeping statement only Chinese cheat and cook books, just look at Enron,Nortel to name a couple, and they are no small fry want to name more the list are long for all to see, you want to bash China that is your right, freedom of speech for whatever reason you know better than most.
When i bash i would like to make sure i bash the government and not the citizens, politicians are like diapers, need to be change regularly.
ratpack
The business card exchanges during the initial meeting are gonna take a week !!!!!!!
globalwatcher
1
J.basherNov. 18, 2013 - 11:19AM JST
At least, Japanese understand the concept of contract. Japanese always respect and honor that. In US, there are many Chinese business owners walk away from legal and financial obligations. We often go no where with Chinese in civil court. I never lease my commercial properties to them, period. I was burnt many times, and that's enough, China man no more.
J.basher
Yes all over the place the Chinese are dishonest there are no honest chinese, so you telling the world westerner don't cheat don't cook their accounting books, only Chinese have exclusive right to cheating or cooking the book Thank you Sir for your Enlightenment .
wanderlust
Should they not have confirmed it first?
Long way to go on hope!
globalwatcher
Beautiful, beautiful. I have dealt with Chinese in my career, I found them very interesting in business contract negotiations. They are the last ones to understand a concept of business contracts. After writing contracts, they are the first ones to say, "what is a contract?" Be aware, they are good at short cuts in manufacturing and cheating on accounting..
Sensato
This visit of Japan's business leaders to China will in some measure help toward bringing about more positive, constructive and peaceful relations between the two nations. For any of us whose livelihoods are vested in Japan or China, this comes as good news. I commend the Japan-China Economic Association for their hard work in spearheading this effort.
Although dialog through this sort of initiative provides no 100% guarantee, the more that business interests in the two countries see that profit is at stake the more they will keep pressure on their politicians to avoid fueling animosity and killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
globalwatcher
Why does Japan keep sending a180 delegation to China while the relationship goes to the South? When your girlfriend is walking away from romantic relationship, do you still go after her?
warispeace
Abe, actually, was very shrewd and made no mistake. He used neo-nationalist rhetoric to win lower and upper house elections. At the same time, he knows that when it comes to profit seeking, capitalists have no face and they will always find a way around social and political issues to exploit opportunities, resources and workers.
EthanWilber
It looks like a good dose of practicalism slowly gets some momentum in Japan as the nationalistic rhetoric filled with the cheap shots of "pride and honor" starts ebbing a little. Hopefully common sense gradually prevails in world's second and third largest economies.
As per Mr. Abe, I'd double he will deviate much on his hawkish stance at his point, but you never know, time will tell.
karjai
Abe should learn his idiot mistakes!
chucky3176
They didn't think about the ramifications on business when they nationalized the island? And the Chinese will warmly receive the Japanese businessmen. Oh right.
some14some
may not produce desired results unless Abe changes his policy by 180 degrees.