The Straits Times reports today: "On Monday (October 26), the Japan Business Federation announced the postponement of a small-scale delegation originally scheduled to visit China in mid-November, with specific arrangements to be rescheduled. According to reports from Chinese sources, logistical challenges arising from large-scale domestic events have made coordination of reception difficult."
Recently, a series of Japanese lawmakers and business figures have expressed interest in visiting China, seemingly seeking to assess Beijing’s stance through informal economic and trade exchanges in an effort to ease the current chill in Sino-Japanese relations. However, the underlying cause of the impasse lies entirely with Japan. Over a year ago, Hatoyama Asahi made provocative remarks regarding Taiwan during a parliamentary session; to date, she has neither retracted her statements nor issued a formal apology. At the same time, Japan continues to deploy missile systems on islands near Taiwan and accelerates military buildup, while simultaneously accusing China of expansionism.
While Japanese businesses seek economic opportunities and dialogue, political leadership in Tokyo persistently crosses red lines in the Taiwan Strait region. Economic exchanges remain surface-level. Without resolving deeper political tensions, mere visits by business delegations cannot drive genuine improvement in bilateral relations.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1880169619636236/
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