I disagree with comments below that Japan is the weaker party in strengthening relations with China.
Its the other way around.
With our new "taking on China" policy - China has now realized it needs some allies in it's own backyard - more powerful the better.
China is loathed by ALL countries bordering South China Sea for its attempt to dominate, forcibly take islands, make man made islands military forward bases - all on account of this whimsical 9 dash line.
So, knowing Japan is and will continue to be strong economically and militarily - thanks to America - it is in China's interest to show it's neighbors that it can mend fences with it's erstwhile enemy.
And who knows - this POTUS had a great put down for South Koreans - "they don't do anywpthing without our permission" - here America through Japan may be playing "good cop & bad cop"
Finally, China knows that it will forever remain number 2 to America and it might as well swallow some ego and start mending fences.
On another note - it would have been nice if you had told us how many dollars in these trillions of yen.
This Sino-Japanese détente shows that pragmatism prevails if leaders decide to set jingoism aside and focus on mutual benefits. China might be able to use Japan in its technology acquisition, its biggest long-term challenge in realising the “Made in China 2025” plan. Japan could have access to China’s middle class - about 250 million people, double the entire population of Japan – which represents a tantalising opportunity for Japanese consumer goods companies.
But there is still much mistrust between the longtime rivals. China is highly suspicious of Abe’s efforts to revise Japan’s pacifist postwar constitution, and Japan is wary of Beijing’s ambition to dominate the region.
This bonhomie is likely to irritate Trum, who has been seeking to punish China over unfair trading practices and encourage advanced economies such as Japan and the EU to join him in condemning China’s theft of intellectual property etc. As he has alienated America’s longtime allies and trading partners, they are moving on without him, letting him stew in his own juice.
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Another triumph of Trump foreign policy. He drives two traditional Asian rivals into each others arms.
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From the perspective of United States, I can definitely see how the largely improved Sino-Japanese relationship can make the Americans uneasy. But they have no one else to blame but Trump's lack of coherent strategy in East Asia and his "America First" protectionism. I, on the other hand, celebrate the closer ties between China and Japan. The two countries plus South Korea share similiar cultural backgrounds, it's rather logical for them to work towards stronger co-operations for the stability and prosperity of the region and effectively the rest of the world.
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Diplomacy is no picnic, but this one baffles me. With the amazing amount of friction between Japan and China over the ownership of Islands right off the Coast of Japan, I don't see why Mr. Abe offers compliance.
The Chinese Communist Party believes it owns the entire South China Sea. The CCP builds phony "Islands" on reefs, and then builds huge and formidable Military Bases on those "Islands". The pretty little Islands off of the Coast of Japan would surely make great Military Bases for China - don't you think so - Mr. Abe ??
And, let's make this party even more Special. Let us celebrate in Tiananmen Square - where the CCP murdered 100's of their own Citizens, who were peacefully protesting for Democratic reform.
History does not forget, even if Nations try to hide the truth. I am amazed that Mr. Abe is taking this course of action. He has much work to do in his own Nation. He could start by cleaning up the Fukushima Nuclear Reactor, that is still pouring thousands of gallons of Nuclear Waste directly into the Pacific Ocean, every day, 24/7. With the Ocean current, the West Coast of America is directly "downstream" of that very Toxic Waste.
I think that Mr. Abe is, in truth, out-gunned, and he knows it. I think he's making a bad choice here.
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@W.Wolfe I think you're right. Japan is out-gunned, largely b/c the US has abandoned its leadership position in Asia, making a host of countries have to deal w/ China from a position of weakness.
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@W.Wolfe The U.S. & our corporations have been kneeling before China for decades because we want their consumers to buy our products. And the U.S. is led by an executive and Congress which has zero concern for human rights - its all about the money. We need to look in the mirror before we critcize other countries.
@W.Wolfe NK has nukes; Japan can get protection from China because Trump is no more a reliable allie...This is why!
Well that's news, amazing China is still receiving aids. China is still a land of contradictions, the second most powerful nation economically and yet poor hinterland.
@Bobb
aid comes in many forms. we strong armed Pakistan to provide a land bridge to supply our troops for the afghan invasion. we rewarded Pakistan with aid. or should we call it rent?
process this: another country drop the almighty USD in trade between the two countries. twenty-nine billion dollars of it.
Mishandling Japan and other friendly Asian countries (like South Korea) is Donald Trump's greatest foreign policy error. (Tariffs are another error.) Closer ties, political and economic, between the Japan and the United State are imperative. Japan has the world's third largest economy. America has the largest. Japan and the U.S. should cooperate in forming a bulwark against Chinese hegemony. Bring back the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It's time that Trump resigned because he is endangering American national security.
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Improving relations between two big neighboring countries is good for the peace and development of these countries directly and to world peace indirectly;
However, the worsening relationship between Uyghur people and Han dominated ultra nationalist Chinese government is detrimental to Uyghur people directly and to Han Chinese led Chinese government indirectly;
Setting up internment camps with Chinese style in the so-called Uyghur Autonomous Region and detaining more than one million innocent Uyghurs , separating hundreds and thousands of Uyghur children from their families and turning them into "orphans" with Chinese characteristic and terrorizing 15 million Uyghur people is criminal, abominable, and condemnable;
Thanks to Prime Minister Abe for raising Internment camps where Innocent Uyghurs are suffering and being humiliated on a daily basis;
It is true that Japanese militarist had committed atrocities against Chinese civilians during WWII; When Japan was defeated, she has rapidly developed because of her embrace of universal values, democratic principles, rule of law and market economy; As an atonement for her crime against Chinese people, Japan has offered in multi-level aid be it economic, technology or education; While I wish the best, peace and development to Chinese people, I hope that Chinese government immediately shuts down those shameful Gulags that will be judged harshly by the justice and peace loving world community in the years to come!
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Congratulations, Mr. Trump, on the success of your America First and MAGA mantras. While of course every president should have an America First mentality, your shockingly myopic and simplistic and bullying implementation leads to a Europe pulling away from the US, a new TPP absent the US but postured to counter the US, and now a budding relationship btwn two economic powerhouses that excludes the US. Great work! What more do you have in store for us?
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