NHK reported on Monday that Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang announced on Monday that China will send Vice President Wang Qishan as a special envoy of President Xi to the imperial enthronement ceremony. The spokesperson said that Wang will meet with Japanese politicians and key people from various fields and will also visit Hokkaido. The network said that Wang is regarded as a close ally of Xi. Noting that China sent a vice premier to the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito’s father in 1990, the broadcaster speculated that the dispatch of Wang, who is more senior than a vice premier, to the enthronement on Oct. 22 is intended to clearly demonstrate China’s policy of attaching importance to improving its relations with Japan.