From the Chinese Foreign Ministry Briefing
Although his resignation is a great loss in terms of improving relations between Beijing and Tokyo, the current trend will definitely not be reversed, even if his successor attempts to do this, Liu said.
"That's because improving Sino-Japanese ties serves the basic interests of both countries and the Asian neighborhood."
Though many analysts have claimed Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary-General Taro Aso is likely to succeed Fukuda, Liu said it was too early to make a conclusion.
"The candidates (for new LDP president) will register on Sept 8. We can just say that Aso is one candidate that made an early debut," he said.
"Whoever his successor will be, there is only a slight chance of a major shift in Japan's foreign policies in the next few months, as the new leader must handle the domestic political situation first."
