TOKYO, Sept 29, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Japan called Thursday for "constructive and
stable" ties with China as the two sides marked 50 years since the
normalisation of relations, albeit with little public fanfare.

Growing friction over China's military might and regional sabre-rattling has
left ties between Beijing and Tokyo frosty, and there was no major diplomatic
ceremony to mark the anniversary.

Instead, messages from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese
President Xi Jinping were read out at an event in Tokyo backed by the
government and the Chinese embassy, and hosted by the powerful Keidanren
business lobby.

In his message, Kishida, who was not present at the event, warned that
relations with China, "while possessing various possibilities, face many
challenges and issues".

"I would like to build constructive and stable Japan-China relations for the
peace and prosperity of not only our two nations but also the region and the
world," he said.

Xi said in his message that ties were of "great importance", adding he was
willing to work with Kishida to use the anniversary as an "opportunity".

The countries should "work together to build a China-Japan relationship that
meets the requirements of the new era," he added.

The world's second and third-largest economies are key trading partners and
just a few years ago seemed poised for a diplomatic blossoming, with plans
for a state visit by Xi.

Since then, ties have significantly soured as Beijing bolsters its military,
projects power regionally and beyond, and takes a harder line on disputed
territory.

In recent months, Chinese missiles are believed by Japan to have fallen
within its exclusive economic zone, and Tokyo has protested what it calls
growing aerial and maritime violations.

Japan also regularly complains about Chinese activity around the disputed
Tokyo-controlled Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims and calls the Diaoyus.

The war in Ukraine has only deepened the divide, with Japan backing Western
allies opposed to Russia's invasion while Beijing avoids criticising Moscow.

Japan's brutal occupation of parts of China before and during World War II
also remains a sore point, with Beijing accusing Tokyo of failing to atone
for its past.

Despite all the tensions, the two countries remain economically intertwined:
China is Japan's largest trading partner and Japan is China's second-largest
after the United States.

And there have been reports that Xi and Kishida could hold talks online or in
person in the coming months.