Japan’s ruling party set to lose 3 seats in special vote, seen as rebuke for corruption scandal
PBS NewsHourMay 08
Report: China, Japan to Discuss Resuming Ruling Party Talks
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The Facts
The Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Liu Jianchao is expected to meet with leaders from Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito to discuss resuming regular consultative talks between ruling parties after six years.
Japanese media outlet NHK, which broke the news earlier, added that preparations are underway for the gathering to take place next week.
The Spin
Pro-China narrative
Day after day, Beijing indicates its desire to stabilize and improve bilateral relations even though Japan insists on supporting US malicious efforts to counter China, and this potential visit is no exception. High-level exchanges — either government-to-government or party-to-party — are key to boosting mutual trust and cooperation.
Anti-China narrative
It's a matter of fact that Japan must pragmatically maintain a close dialogue with China due to the pressing need to restore regional stability, so resuming consultative talks is good news. However, even the traditionally China-friendly junior coalition party Komeito has now realized that hegemonic moves from Beijing are to blame for disputes in the Asia-Pacific.