Thursday’s Mainichi and Nikkei wrote that Prime Minister Abe is mulling a visit to China in October for talks with President Xi if he is reelected LDP president in the party leadership election in September. If the visit is realized, it will be the first time for a Japanese prime minister to travel to China other than to attend an international conference since then-Prime Minister Noda visited there in December 2011. Mainichi speculated that Abe is hoping to improve bilateral ties with China by confirming cooperation on the economic front and in dealing with North Korea.