Leaders Reaffirm 'Mutually Beneficial Relationship'

(MNI) London - At their first in-person meeting in a year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sought to reaffirm “a mutually beneficial relationship” between the two nations amid a spat over a Chinese ban on the import of Japanese seafood and the arrest of a Japanese executive accused of spying by Chinese authorities. Xi and Kishida met on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco, CA.

• The use of the term "mutually beneficial relationship" refers to the 2008joint statement released at a time of closer ties between Beijing and Tokyo in which then-President Hu Jintao and PM Yasuo Fukuda committed to the "comprehensive promotion" of a "mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests".
• In recent years there has been little mention of this term, but its resurfacing in the 16 Nov meeting could hint at efforts - much like those between China and the US - to de-escalate tensions.
• In another similar outcome to the Xi-Biden meeting, there were no major breakthroughs but instead incremental signs of more dialogue in the future with the focus on economic development rather than more contentious security issues. A new 'dialogue framework' on trade will be worked on, while efforts will also be made to revitalise the tripartite meetings between representatives of China, Japan, and South Korea.