Serving as Washington's pawn won't benefit Tokyo

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi's visit to China, the first by a top Japanese diplomat in three years, presented a good opportunity for Tokyo to repair relations with Beijing. As close neighbors with deep economic and people-to-people ties, Tokyo has everything to gain from working with Beijing to keep bilateral ties on the right track.

Premier Li Qiang, Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang all separately met with Hayashi on Sunday, indicating the importance China attaches to improving relations with its neighbor.

However, the recent upturn in their relations has encountered headwinds, which have not only set obstacles for deepening cooperation between the two countries but also disrupted their normal cooperation on multilateral platforms.