Japan-China ties key for region: experts

Relations between China and Japan have improved, and China's role on the global stage is expanding under President Xi Jinping, experts say, but tension remains between the two countries and between China and the US.

China has stepped up on climate change and also provided aid in crises such as the Ebola virus outbreak, said Elizabeth Economy, director of Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

"I think China is a norm setter - it has a lot of potential. There will be some conflict, but I see potential for cooperation" between China and the US, Economy said on Thursday at a forum about relations between China, Japan and the US hosted by the council in New York.

As for Japan and China's relationship, Sheila Smith, a fellow on Japan studies at the CFR, said there is more government-to-government traction as well as business ties, as Japanese business leaders reopen conversations about their role in the Chinese economy.

It has been reported that President Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be meeting next month in Asia.

"I wouldn't say (the relationship) is wonderful," said Shiraishi Takashi, president of Tokyo's National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, but "they have started to talk with each other. For now, if some of the Japanese politicians - especially from Mr Abe's circle - if they don't make any stupid mistakes, hopefully this will be muted for quite some time."

There is a belief by American experts on China that the relationship between Japan and China would "underpin the stability of Asia-Pacific, even more so than the China-US relationship," Smith said.

Beijing has also urged Tokyo to make a clean break from its wartime past. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a public diplomacy symposium attended by former government officials and specialists from the three countries in Beijing on Tuesday, "Facing history squarely is the foundation for advancing toward the future.

The summit is due to be attended by Premier Li Keqiang, ROK President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Seoul on Sunday.

Wang also said the issue of trust has been the "weakest link" due to factors including history and problems remaining from the Cold War era.

Contact the writer at amyhe@chinadailyusa.com