Six experts exchanged views about President Trump’s visit to China last week during NHK’s “Nichiyo Toron” Sunday debate show. The panelists included former Ambassador to the U.S. Ichiro Fujisaki, former Ambassador to China Yuji Miyamoto, Hosei University Professor Satoru Mori, Tokyo University Professor Akio Takahara, Sojitz Research Institute Chief Economist Tatsuhiko Yoshizaki, and Chief Researcher at Fujitsu Research Institute Ka Ryu. The discussants agreed that President Xi was very successful in pleasing President Trump by announcing more than $250 billion in deals between the two countries across industries and demonstrating at home and abroad his status vis-à-vis the U.S. president. However, the panelists suspected that no details about the trade deals or how to step up pressure on North Korea were discussed at the meeting between the two leaders. Mori said the South China Sea was not apparently taken up at the U.S.-China summit meeting, and Fujisaki and Miyamoto stated that it was regrettable that President Trump did not refer to human rights issues in China.

Concerning Prime Minister Abe’s bilateral meeting with President Xi on Saturday in Vietnam, the panelists welcomed it as a positive step toward improving the ties between Japan and China. Yoshizaki added that Japan, China, and South Korea should promote discussions on their trilateral FTA.