Japan’s PMs Abe arrives in China as ties thaw

Japan’s Shinzo Abe arrived in China on Thursday. The visit to the Asian giant is the first by a Japanese prime minister since relations between the two countries soured six years ago over a territorial row. Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss how to improve economic cooperation as the world’s second and third largest economies prepare to weather a US onslaught of trade measures, AFP said. Japanese business is eager for increased access to China’s massive market, while Beijing is interested in Japanese technology and corporate know-how. The visit is part of a years-long process of repairing relations in the wake of a disastrous falling-out in 2012, when Tokyo “nationalized” disputed islands claimed by Beijing. The incident prompted anti-Japanese riots in China. Since a 2014 encounter between Abe and Xi on the sidelines of a summit, there have been ministerial visits by both sides and a softening of rhetoric.