There is a discernible note of cautious optimism in China over the impact of the first formal meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe on improving the dismal state of bilateral ties, with observers noting several more important factors are at play.
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Washington-based analyst Yun Sun said there is a worry the meeting was “necessitated by political needs on both sides and represents temporary tactical shifts rather than strategic adjustments”. “This is the reason that we need to closely follow the developments between the two countries after the Apec Summit to evaluate whether the meeting is in fact the beginning of improvements or simply the product of immediate political considerations,” the Stimson Centre think-tank observer told The Straits Times.
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