Representative of Komeito Visits Beijing

Chief Representative of Komeito, coalition partner of Liberal Democratic Party, Tetsuo Saito, made a visit to China and had meeting with officials in Chinese government. The leaders discussed how to maintain free trade system against unilateral tariff policy exercised by the President of the United States, Donald Trump. However, they did not reach a level of completely remove mutual distrust between their governments. 

Saito had a meeting with Wang Huning, the chairman of the National Committee on the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee and ranked fourth among the members of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee. Saito and Wang agreed on importance of maintaining international free trade system, concerning confusion of international society with tariff policy by Trump administration.

 

The meeting marked the first discussion between the leaders of both governments after Trump’s announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on foreign countries. “Stability between China and the U.S., which have a great influence on world economy, is extremely important for international society,” said Saito with expectation of careful response of China on the issue. Wang insisted that maintenance of free trade system will be common interest for China and Japan, or the world.

 

In a series of meetings in Beijing, one of the leaders of CCP told Saito that China was in trouble with Tramp’s tariffs. Wang hoped to build relations with Japan based on mutual benefit through exchanges of people between the two nations. Japanese officials expect that China is approaching Japan more than ever. It is also important for Japan to maintain relationship with China which is Japan’s biggest partner in trade.

 

However, Saito expressed his concern in trade activities of China, indicating China’s regulation of rare earth materials. “It is important for China to take necessary responsibility, abiding by rules in international society,” said Saito to Wang. Saito handed out Wang a letter from Japanese Prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, to Chinese President Xi Jinping. In the meeting with Xi last November, Ishiba hoped Xi to lift China’s restriction policy on Japanese sea products.

 

Komeito has traditionally been maintaining a close relationship with China. Soka Gakkai, Komeito’s political backbone, built relationship with Chinese officials even before Japan officially normalized diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China in 1972. Former representative, Natsuo Yamaguchi, had one-on-one meetings with Xi for multiple times.

 

Saito hopes to make his visit to China a momentum for Komeito to raise its popularity in Japan, looking to the election of House of Councillors in July. Suffering from defeat in the general election last October, the party is seeking a way to get rid of current political slump. But it has not achieved effective policy to sell to the voters in the coming election. It is still unclear whether Saito’s visit to China will work for the campaign this summer.

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