Japan welcomes Xi as sign of improving ties

China’s President Xi Jinping receives a bunch of flowers on his arrival at Kansai International Airport in Izumisano, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, Thursday, June 27, 2019. Group of 20 leaders gather in Osaka on June 28 and 29 for their annual summit.(Kyodo News via AP)

OSAKA — Japan has welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the G-20 summit as a sign of improving ties.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Thursday that Japan-China relations are on the recovery track and he hopes to further elevate them.

Relations between the two countries have sunken to their lowest in the past few years over territorial disputes involving islands in the East China Sea as well as Japan’s wartime actions.

Xi arrived in Osaka earlier Thursday to attend the summit that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will chair on Friday and Saturday.

Suga said he expects Abe and Xi will have constructive talks and dinner later Thursday.

Xi will also hold talks with President Donald Trump on Saturday, a meeting that is capturing a major attention amid their trade disputes.

Xi and other world leaders are gathering in Osaka for a summit of the Group of 20 major economies. The summit, however, is likely to be overshadowed by both trade and geopolitical tensions.

This was Xi’s first visit to Japan since he became communist China’s top leader in 2013. /kga