Author: Dominic Meagher

The Japanese Destroyer, Sazanami was led into Zhanjiang military port yesterday by the Shenzhen, a Chinese missile destroyer (and the first Chinese navy ship to visit Tokyo last November).

This is the first time the Japanese navy has been in China since World War II.

The 4,600 ton warship and its 240 member crew arrived in Zhanjiang (in Guangdong province) loaded with relief supplies. The supplies (mostly food, blankets, hygiene masks and disinfectant) are being unloaded today and will travel by train to Sichuan to aid the recovery of the Sichuan earthquake victims. (CCTV)

The visit has received wide coverage in Chinese media, with Chinese sailors lined up to welcome the ship under the flags of both countries.

Last week China and Japan announced an agreement for joint development of a gas field in the East China Sea which had been a major source of long term tension, while China and Taiwan held their first formal talks in a decade this month.

These developments are potentially important for broader regional cooperation.

Responding to Kevin Rudd’s “Asia Pacific Community” speech, Qin Gang, spokesperson for China’s Foreign ministry said:

It is the trend of the contemporary times to strengthen regional cooperation. We hope relevant countries in the Asia-Pacific region can work together and have more exchanges so as to build up political mutual trust, deepen cooperation of mutual benefit, promote common development and share win-win progress. We are open to every proposal conducive to this goal.

True to his word.