Despite Takaichi PM's Diplomacy, Stronger Ties with China Will Be Difficult

このページを日本語で読む

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for the first time during her visit to Gyeongju, South Korea.

At their summit meeting, the two leaders agreed to comprehensively promote a "strategic and mutually beneficial relationship" and build "constructive and stable ties."

Takaichi called on Xi to continue frank dialogues and thereby deepen the relationship between the two leaders. For Japan, China is a neighboring country with which it has both deep economic ties and contentious issues. China is also the greatest military threat to this nation. That is why dialogue between the two leaders is so important.

The fact that a Japan-China summit was held shortly after the launch of the Takaichi administration is commendable. Prime Minister Takaichi's diplomacy toward China will hopefully protect the peace, stability, and prosperity of Japan and the region.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister conveyed her concerns about issues regarding the East and South China Seas, including the Senkaku Islands. She expressed concern about China's restrictions on rare earth exports, the detention of Japanese nationals in China, and the human rights situation in Hong Kong and involving the Uyghu rs. Additionally, she mentioned China's delayed resumption of Japanese seafood imports.

In response to Xi's statement that China considers the Taiwan issue to be a core interest, Takaichi emphasized that "good cross-strait relations are extremely important for regional stability and security."

We hope that in the future, as well, she will continue to convey Japan's positions and concerns just as frankly.

*Japan-China summit meeting, October 31, 2025, in Gyeongju, South Korea. (©Prime Minister's Office of Japan.)*

Not Without Concerns

However, there is concern that the Japanese government has continued to promote the "mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests." This line was previously revived by the Japanese and Chinese governments under the Fumio Kishida Cabinet.

In reality, the two countries currently share no basis for pursuing a mutually beneficial relationship. Moreover, unless there is a significant improvement in the Xi regime's stance toward Japan, it will be difficult to strengthen relations.

After Sanae Takaichi took office on October 21, Xi Jinping did not send her a congratulatory telegram. In comparison, Xi did send congratulatory telegrams to her predecessors, Prime Ministers Shigeru Ishiba, Fumio Kishida, and Yoshihide Suga, on the days they took office.

Xi's behavior was certainly extremely immature. He views Prime Minister Takaichi as a hardliner and probably wanted to show his distaste for her. No wonder observers initially thought staging a summit would be difficult.

'Takaichi Diplomacy'

However, the meeting did take place. And Xi, seemingly with the Prime Minister's October 24 policy speech in mind, praised Takaichi and her Cabinet for acknowledging the importance of Sino-Japanese relations.

Undoubtedly, the impetus for Xi's sudden change in attitude had to do with United States President Donald Trump's visit to Japan. In Tokyo, with Mr Trump, the Prime Minister successfully conveyed the strength of the Japan-US alliance.

Notably, at present, the Takaichi Cabinet is enjoying an extraordinarily strong public approval rating. Perhaps Xi also assessed that he had no choice but to treat Takaichi as a negotiating partner, rather than the leader of a weak government.

It appears that the Japanese people gave "Takaichi diplomacy" a boost.