ArrowArtboardCreated with Sketch.Title ChevronTitle ChevronIcon FacebookIcon LinkedinIcon Mail ContactPath LayerIcon MailPositive ArrowIcon Print
Shinzo Abe, Japan's assassinated former prime minister, left, and Chinese President leader Xi Jinping entered office a month apart in 2012. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Getty Images/Ken Kobayashi)
China up close

Analysis: Dramatic final curtain on special Abe-Xi relationship

Chinese leader pays unusual respect to his arch rival of 10 years

KATSUJI NAKAZAWA, Nikkei senior staff writer | China

Katsuji Nakazawa is a Tokyo-based senior staff and editorial writer at Nikkei. He spent seven years in China as a correspondent and later as China bureau chief. He was the 2014 recipient of the Vaughn-Ueda International Journalist prize.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping had been linked by fate for a decade.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.

Discover the all new Nikkei Asia app

  • Take your reading anywhere with offline reading functions
  • Never miss a story with breaking news alerts
  • Customize your reading experience

Nikkei Asian Review, now known as Nikkei Asia, will be the voice of the Asian Century.

Celebrate our next chapter
Free access for everyone - Sep. 30

Find out more