China bomber flights cast pall over charm offensive in Osaka

KENJI KAWASE

OSAKA — Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Friday visited Expo 2025 in Osaka, presiding over China’s National Day event and holding talks with Japanese officials in an effort to improve bilateral ties.

In a speech at the event, He emphasized the close historical and cultural affinity between China and Japan, repeating the well-worn phrase that more than 2,000 years of friendly exchanges had shown that the two neighbors “cannot move away from each other.”