Chinese military delegation to visit Japan in bid to mend strained ties

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will send a delegation to Japan for a visit later this month as the two countries step up engagement and defence exchanges in a bid to mend bilateral ties.

The delegation from the PLA’s Eastern Theatre Command will visit some military units and meet leaders of the Japanese Ministry of Defence and the Joint Staff of the Self-Defence Forces, according to a statement from China’s defence ministry on Monday.

The ministry said the mid-January visit would “help enhance mutual understanding and trust between the two sides and promote Sino-Japanese defence exchanges”.

The Eastern Theatre Command oversees operations around Taiwan and the East China Sea.

In May, China sent a delegation of 20 military officers to Japan for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic as part of an exchange programme for young officers. During that trip, the Chinese delegation visited the Japanese defence ministry, an airforce base and a naval base.

Last month, a delegation of young Japanese military officers made a nine-day trip to China, visiting the cities of Beijing, Chengdu and Guangzhou.

  

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