Abe calls for high-level talks with China

At last!

This should have happened months ago!

As expected, when the election is over, it’s time to mend ties. It’s absolutely true that Japan did "artificially create and exaggerate tensions."

“I think there should be a summit meeting and also a foreign ministers meeting as soon as possible ... I think such meetings should be held without pre-conditions,

Yep. This is why Abe refused in the first place.

This is better, “I am looking forward to the day when I can have amicable discussions with the leaders of China, an important neighboring country for Japan in a spirit of being at ease with each other.” But what did China say, “stop using empty slogans about so-called dialogue to gloss over disagreements”.

China and Japan can meet and should meet, however when it will be is up to China to decide. Japan/Abe think that he trash China and use China as a punching bag for election and then everything somehow just be fine and dandy after he wins?

BertieWoosterJul. 27, 2013 - 07:44AM JST At last! This should have happened months ago!

I agree but I still don't see anything happening.

"Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on Friday for a leaders’ summit or a foreign ministers’ meeting between his country and China as soon as possible, drawing a cool reaction from Beijing which accused Japan of lacking sincerity."

OK, how is suggesting a meeting sincere or not sincere? Either China agrees to Japan's suggestion to have a meeting, or they don't.

OK, how is suggesting a meeting sincere or not sincere? Either China agrees to Japan's suggestion to have a meeting, or they don't.

Maybe it's because they say one thing, and do the other. This is due to the Japanese government lacking a political CENTER, where it decides an overall plan for what the Japanese government should do and what the overall strategy should be.

Hahaha... Abe calling for a meeting. All he's doing is calling for an audience to listen to him demand one side acknowledge history while the other accept his white-washing of Japan's. He's basically demanding that China listen to him from his soapbox while he asks them for 'cooperation' on accepting his notion that there is no dispute. He wants better bilateral ties on Japan's terms, and Japan's terms alone. It wouldn't be a talk, it would be a 'we talk, you listen (or the US will get you!)".

@flowers, without Ishihara Shintaro and Noda Yoshihiko, the relationship between Japan and China should not be this.

It is a bad and stupid manner to just accuse one part in this internet place. This is not for Japanese world reputation.

So Abe makes an offer and china stalls and starts the BS talk, instead of going ok and sitting down and discussing things like an adult, good on Abe for taking the inititive, typical china for behaving like a indolent child again.

No matter what Abe does or says the haters will always hate on him, instead of looking for the positives they look to talk the BS just like that brat China.

This guy is clever. He trash talked other countries like China, said F all when Hashimoto offended former sex slaves, has tried to deny forced sexual slavery in the past himself (before evidence was thrown in his face), and now he wants high level talks knowing all the offence he's caused. China are upset, making it look like Abe has been the good guy all the time, willing to make amends, while stabbing people in the back. He's going to make Grandpa look tame once his real agenda starts!

This relationship will not be solved over night., particularly if both sides try to look better in front of their constituencies and media Again as before, leave the media out and have a PRIVATE meeting; one to one. Otherwise these announcements are all for show only.

StormRJul. 27, 2013 - 10:13AM JST

So Abe makes an offer and china stalls and starts the BS talk, instead of going ok and sitting down and discussing things like an adult, good on Abe for taking the inititive, typical china for behaving like a indolent child again.

So what are they meant to talk about?

Russia's been talking to Japan for 40 years and where as it got them?

StormR: "No matter what Abe does or says the haters will always hate on him,"

Any hate directed towards Abe is hate he brought on himself, plain and simple. The guy actually BRAGS about how he had the sex-slave issue removed from history texts, wants to rescind apologies, denied sexual slavery but then later had to admit it in the face of overwhelming proof (and he soon after resigned as PM), he says there is 'no dispute' about the islands and wants to change the constitution so they can build up Japan's military (all the while decrying China doing the same), says it's justified if lawmakers want to visit Yasukuni, plays down the rape of Nanjing, etc. He has flat out said int he past he will not allow China to dispute the islands, then wants 'talks' despite saying as much, so how is China being the baby and Japan not? The answer is that they are BOTH acting like children, and like children when one acts belligerantly, the other responds in kind. The island problem was on the back-burner until Ishihara brought up the idea of nationalizing them in April of last year, and we know how things have spiralled out of control since then. China sends ships into the disputed territory AFTER Japan announces it will do this or that.

Again, Abe doesn't want 'talks' -- he wants to preach, and preach hate for that matter. He is as bad and doing anything as bad as any of the Chinese lawmakers/politicians out there -- he just hides behind the US when making threats, while China does not need to.

" No matter what Abe does or say the ahters wilol always hate on him, instead of looking for the positives they look to talk the BS just like that brat China"

It is not what he does or says but where and what to say that 's the issue. I would have thought if Abe is sincere about engaging high level talk of such significance with China you would have not expect this to be publicly announced in a foreign country, Singapore. This has the reversed intention that he is engaging in a point scoring exercise

Thomas AndersonJul. 27, 2013 - 09:19AM JST "OK, how is suggesting a meeting sincere or not sincere? Either China agrees to Japan's suggestion to have a meeting, or they don't.

Maybe it's because they say one thing, and do the other.

Like what ? Asking for a meeting and then not showing up? As far as I can tell claiming "insincerity" as a reason for not agreeing to a meeting is a pretty lame reason that makes no sense.

Meanwhile, business between Japan and China just keeps humming along and Chinese language from the tourists can be heard from one end of Shinjuku to another. Having been to China, I can tell you that 99% of Chinese don't care about the islands, just like 99% of Japanese don't care. The whole island issue is just China testing Obama's "Asian shift" (not sure if that is the right English term).

OssanAmerica

Like what ? Asking for a meeting and then not showing up? As far as I can tell claiming "insincerity" as a reason for not agreeing to a meeting is a pretty lame reason that makes no sense.

More like saying that they want good relations with China, then visiting the Yasukuni shrine right after that.

I am looking forward to the day when I can have amicable discussions with the leaders of China, an important neighboring country for Japan in a spirit of being at ease with each other.

When did Abe realize this? just recently ! too late if any doubt he should verify with former popular PM Koizumi !

After so much rabble rousing and now having cold feet Abe is trying to get the other former victims of Japanese aggression during the Second World War to talk peace to China, the first country that Japan invaded and committed atrocities on millions of its people. Japan has no credibility with its Asian neighbours and so every word that comes out of Abe's mouth is taken with disbelief and bewilderment. Good try but no one is really listening.

Coming from another PM it will be welcomed but with LDP and their agenda ? Come on, no need to be a genius to understand that Abe want to show a failure (and be sure he will do everything to reach that point) coming from any talks, or refusal, to justify to push more the opinion on the "Chinese are all evil" so give me power to "first strike" them. I think Japan already TALKED to China (and to the world) when they voted and gave full support to LDP Abe PM and his military agenda.

dirty politician, u find wrong target playing game with.

Abe is wasting his breath. China doesn't want to hold any high-level talks; it needs Japan as an enemy. Unless with the Chinese economy tanking the CPC figure more Japanese investment might help; that might change things. The problem is that China's negotiations always begin with--"First, admit that the (Senkaku Islands) are ours, then we will negotiate."

And in the meantime Abe is arming Philippine with Japanese patrol ships and 10 billion yen post disaster relief money. Some may think Abe is simply pushing Philippine to start a conflict on his behalf.

Abe cant be trusted that's why china ignored his plea for talk. Abe should be sincere not be a two head snake.

China’s Foreign Ministry said its door was always open for talks, but that the problem lay in Japan’s attitude.

Yes, if Japan is interested in having a summit with China, shouldn't it stop telling the lie that China does not dispute Japan's claim over the Diaoyu/ Senkaku islands?

Why is Japan telling the lie in the first place.

The problem is that China's negotiations always begin with--"First, admit that the (Senkaku Islands) are ours, then we will negotiate."

Isn't that how Japan deals with the Southern Kuriles? All four or nothing?

Thomas AndersonJul. 27, 2013 - 11:48AM JST OssanAmerica "Like what ? Asking for a meeting and then not showing up? As far as I can tell claiming "insincerity" as a reason for not agreeing to a meeting is a pretty lame reason that makes no sense." More like saying that they want good relations with China, then visiting the Yasukuni shrine right after that

First off how does going or not going to the Yasukuni shrine make a suggestion to have a meeting either sincere or not sincere? Second, it's been reported that Abe doesn't plan on going there this year according to a JT article. Japan is making an effort for dialogue and China is just refusing to cooperate using irrelevant excuses,

Japan has no credibility with its Asian neighbors and so every word that comes out of Abe's mouth is taken with disbelief and bewilderment.

Japan has plenty of credibility all over the world. There are two places where the credibility of Japan would be called into question .... communist china and ROK. Since the communists are about the least credible country in the world and despised by most of the free world, I don't think japan need spend a lot of time worrying about the "bewilderment" of PRC.

Don't want a meeting Mr communist party leaders? Fine, just say so. No need for the little speeches.

Right now, China has only one ally, N, Korea which can not help China at all. S. Korea? It hates Japan but it ford not love China. Russia? It is too friendly with Japan now, /Other Asian nations are too tied up with Japan. Abe visited these countries to demonstrate these countries want to tie with Japan, not China. Poor China. It has to stand alone. Well, it is stuck with out-of-dated Ford and GM automakers which even American people do not purchase. Abe and other Asian countries are getting one against China now. China has no choice but talk with Japan right now, If it prolongs talks, it loses chance to be one of two top powers in Asia.

Just wait another 6 months to a year to see how Abe's economic and other policies perform. Until now it looks like he is digging a huge hole to bury himself in. But, this might just be the real wake-up call that Japan needs to face history directly once and for all and write off the past. It doesn't make any sense for Japan to insist on being antagonistic unless it wants to commit harakiri in an interdependent world of ever changing politics.

toshiko - Right now, China has only one ally, N, Korea which can not help China at all. S. Korea? It hates Japan but it ford not love China... Abe visited these countries to demonstrate these countries want to tie with Japan, not China. Poor China. It has to stand alone...Other Asian nations are too tied up with Japan

I'm sorry but I couldn't help but to laugh! South Korea and China are experiencing in what a many analysts are calling a "honeymoon" period. Economic and cultural ties are between the two countries are dramatically increasing. South Korea's domestic economy is slumping yet SK's GDP is growing largely to due increase in exports and oversea sales, particularly in China. In turn, Korean companies are investing in China.

Moreover a free trade agreement talks between Japan, China, and SK has been shelved, instead China and SK are aggressively perusing FTA without Japan. It's Japan that is in risk of being the odd man out of the regional and global politics.

In terms of China's relationship with other "Asian nations," China is trying to make amends with Vietnam and settle the their respective territorial disputes by diplomatic means.