Neighbors must make the most of new start

A visit by a Chinese foreign minister to a neighboring country and an economic dialogue session between China and a next-door neighbor should not be a big deal. It would not be were that neighbor not Japan, and such visits and dialogues not been respectively postponed for nine and eight years.

That such a visit and conversation have finally taken place means a lot to both Beijing and Tokyo, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty.

That the two parties have chosen to repair ties and reopen high-level economic dialogue after such a long hiatus has naturally inspired high hopes in both countries that substantial improvements in broader ties will materialize.