Xi sends special envoy to Japan

Emperor Naruhito officially proclaims his ascension to the Chrysanthemum throne during an enthronement ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. AFP

BEIJING (Global Times) — China sending senior officials to the Japanese emperor’s enthronement shows the improving trend of China-Japan relations, Chinese experts said on Tuesday, while the grand ceremony proved an unexpected hot topic on Chinese internet where users were apparently fascinated by certain overlapping cultural details.

The formal ceremony to mark the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito was held at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace on Tuesday afternoon, NHK reported.

Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan attended the ceremony as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special envoy.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a press conference on Tuesday that Wang would meet Japanese leaders and individuals from different fields during the visit.

Hua said that China hoped through Wang’s visit to keep the trend of meetings between senior officials of China and Japan to promote practical cooperation in different fields as well as for China-Japan relations to develop on a healthy and correct track.

“The Chinese vice president attending the ceremony in Japan shows China values improving China-Japan relations and is an active response to Japan’s hope of further lifting the relationship,” Zhou Yongsheng, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University’s Institute of International Relations in Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

In 1990, China sent its Vice Premier of the State Council to Emperor Akihito’s enthronement, according to the NHK.

“In almost three decades, even though there were small ups and downs, China-Japan relations in general have moved forward and become better,” Zhou said.

President Xi in June in principle accepted the invitation from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to visit Japan as a state guest next spring, China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported.

In a video message sent to the Chinese Embassy in Japan in September, Abe congratulated the People’s Republic of China on the 70th anniversary of its founding, calling on the two countries to join hands in addressing regional and global issues and making contributions to the international community.