March 2, 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Japan as a state guest in early April is being considered to be postponed by the Japanese and Chinese governments due to the spread of the new coronavirus.
The Japanese and Chinese governments are considering postponing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Japan as a state guest in early April due to the spread of the new coronavirus, according to several sources related to the Japanese government.
“Although there are no changes in the schedule as of now, Japan and China will continue to closely communicate with each other, keeping in mind the need to have a productive meeting,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a press conference on Saturday. His remarks are believed to indicate the possibility of postponing Xi’s scheduled visit depending upon the situation surrounding the coronavirus.
According to the sources, Tokyo has already approached Beijing about putting off Xi’s visit to Japan. “There is no chance that Xi will come to Japan in April,” a senior Japanese government official said.
Xi’s visit was initially planned for April 6-10. If his visit is delayed, many experts including the senior official predict that he will “visit during autumn or later,” after the Tokyo Games have ended.