China's Premier Seeks Warmer Japan Ties

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and China's Premier Wen Jiabao, right, shake hands prior to their bilateral meeting at the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, central Philippines in this Jan. 14, 2007 file photo. China's Premier Wen Jiabao urged his Japanese counterpart not to visit a Tokyo war shrine at the center of tensions over Japan's past military aggression in Asia, a news report said Wednesday, April 4, 2007. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File) (Eugene Hoshiko - AP)

SHANGHAI, China -- China's premier will visit Japan this week for the first time in seven years, in a sign that ties may finally be stabilizing after years of rancor over the Japanese occupation of China in the first half of the 20th century.

Expectations for the visit are mixed, yet the mere fact that Premier Wen Jiabao is going reflects a sharp turnaround in relations that began with an icebreaking visit to Beijing by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in October.

"I feel strongly that my trip has a real mission," Wen told Japanese reporters in Beijing ahead of the three-day visit starting Wednesday. "Sino-Japanese relations are at a critical stage and both countries should make an effort to push forward ties."

Wen, who will visit South Korea on the way to Japan, left Beijing on Tuesday morning, Xinhua News agency reported.

His delegation included Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Ma Kai, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planning body.

Wen plans to address Japanese lawmakers and issue a joint statement with Abe expressing their "aspirations to build a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship." Military cooperation, economic dialogue, and collaboration on energy conservation, environmental protection and finance issues are also on the agenda.

In an attempt to emphasize the human side of relations, Wen said he even plans to join a university team in a game of baseball.

David Shambaugh, director of the China Policy Program at George Washington University in Washington, said both sides, but particularly China, want to "put a floor" beneath relations.

"Abe wants to boost domestic support by handling of China relations well. China wants stability through improving ties," said Guo Dingping, a Japan scholar at Shanghai's Fudan University.

But Chinese critics of Japan say underlying anger will continue to overshadow progress toward the normalization of ties.

"The gulf isn't easy to eliminate," said Feng Jinhao, a former student in Japan who gained instant fame in China for vandalizing statues outside Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honors dead Japanese soldiers, including executed war criminals.

Since Abe's visit last autumn, the two sides have tried to set aside differences over Japan's wartime aggression.