The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Japan to take practical action for normal bilateral exchanges in relation to a planned visit to China by Japanese ruling and opposition lawmakers scheduled for next week.

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A post on social media by Shinichi Isa, public relations committee chair of Japan's Centrist Reform Alliance, who is set to visit China next week. The post states that he will soon visit China to overcome the worst state of China-Japan relations. / Global Times (Huanqiu Shibao)

At a regular press briefing on the 21st, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, "Some knowledgeable figures within Japan's ruling and opposition parties have expressed deep concern over the current state of China-Japan relations, and we've noted their efforts to bring bilateral ties back onto the right track."

He added, "Japan's ruling establishment needs to listen to these voices, uphold the principles of the four China-Japan political documents, and take concrete action to create the conditions necessary for normal exchanges between the two countries." The four political documents Lin referenced are the 1972 China-Japan Joint Communiqué, the 1978 China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship, the 1998 Joint Declaration on Building a Partnership of Friendship and Cooperation for Peace and Development, and the 2008 Joint Statement on Comprehensively Promoting a Strategic Relationship of Mutual Benefit — documents China treats as the political basis on which Japan must faithfully honor existing commitments, including the "One China" principle regarding Taiwan.

Lin's remarks convey a clear message. On one hand, China has made clear it isn't entirely rejecting parliamentary-level diplomacy. On the other hand, it has just as clearly signaled that a lawmakers' visit alone won't be enough to restore diplomatic relations — in short, China has drawn a firm line on what conditions are required for exchange.

According to Beijing diplomatic sources familiar with bilateral relations, a delegation of Japanese lawmakers plans to visit China from the 24th through the 27th. Those set to take part reportedly include Hashimoto Gaku, former vice minister of health, labour and welfare from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and Ii Shinichi, public relations chair of the Democratic Party for the People. Arrangements are reportedly being coordinated for meetings in Beijing with officials from the Chinese Communist Party's International Liaison Department.

Bilateral relations froze sharply after Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae raised, in parliament on November 6 of last year, the possibility of Japan exercising collective self-defense in the event of a Taiwan contingency, after which visits by Japanese politicians to China became impossible. This upcoming visit by the cross-party Japanese delegation therefore marks the first contact with Chinese Communist Party officials since last November.

China characterized Takaichi's remark at the time as undermining existing commitments related to the Taiwan issue, and has since sharply criticized Japan, tying the matter to Japan's military buildup and its approach to historical issues as well.

LDP members are naturally included in this delegation, but there is reportedly no public information confirming they carry an official mandate from the Prime Minister's Office, Japan's Foreign Ministry, or LDP leadership. It appears difficult to demonstrate that Japan is genuinely committed to taking concrete action toward restoring summit-level exchange between the two countries — suggesting that a leaders' meeting between the two countries may remain out of reach for some time.

                                                                                                          Hong Soon-do