Takaichi to Visit China for the First Time as Prime Minister, Joining APEC Summit in Shenzhen

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit China next week. It will be her first visit to China since taking office as prime minister. Tokyo announced the information on Friday.

She will make the trip to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Shenzhen, China.

Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki said: 'Prime Minister Takaichi will visit the Philippines and China from November 16 to 19. During that time she will attend ASEAN-related summits and the APEC summit.'

It will be her first visit to China since taking office as prime minister last October.

Ozaki said that at the APEC summit Takaichi would discuss issues such as trade and investment, regional economic integration, economic and energy security, and the digital economy.

However, all eyes will be on a possible meeting between Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit. According to analysts, the likelihood of a bilateral meeting between the two leaders is very low.

Before the Shenzhen trip, Takaichi will go to Manila to attend the summit of ASEAN, the bloc of 11 Southeast Asian nations.

Ozaki said discussions were also under way to hold a Quad meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, with the leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States taking part.

Behind this visit lies tension over Taiwan. Last November, Takaichi commented that if Taiwan were attacked, Tokyo could intervene militarily. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its own territory.

China reacted strongly to Takaichi's Taiwan comment. It issued a warning to its citizens about travelling to Japan and imposed trade restrictions. As a result of those restrictions, supplies of important rare earth minerals to Japanese firms have fallen significantly, according to various reports.

In a policy speech last month, Takaichi described China as an 'important neighbour' and pledged to build a stable relationship with the country. At the same time, she said Japan would firmly present its national position and would expect responsible behaviour from China.

Beijing has been refusing to sit in ministerial-level meetings with Takaichi's government. But last month, in a condolence message sent to the family of former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda after his death, Xi Jinping described Fukuda as a 'long-time friend of the Chinese people.'

Earlier, last September in Beijing, at a meeting with a trade delegation led by former Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya, China's top diplomat Wang Yi said Beijing was waiting to normalise relations with Tokyo again.