For the first time in four years, Chinese and Japanese officials will hold security talks at a high-level, Reuters reported late last week.
The last time we witnessed any serious engagement between China and Japan on security issues was January 2011 in Beijing. Since then, much has transpired.
The Democratic Party of Japan left the building in Tokyo, paving the way for a triumphant return to the top by Shinzo Abe, a right-wing nationalist. Similarly, Chinese President Xi Jinping came to power. Japan and China spent nearly 2 years with zero high-level diplomatic interaction owing to a sharp spike in tensions in the East China Sea after Japan nationalized the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in 2012.
The bilateral security summit will take place after a trilateral meeting including South Korea set to be held next week in Seoul. According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “the three countries will consult on necessary coordination in view of a possible Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Meeting as well as cooperative initiatives” in that meeting. This trilateral process has been ongoing on an annual basis with the last meeting having taken place in September 2014, also in Seoul.
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