Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya is planning to visit China in late December for talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, as the two countries seek to resume high-level bilateral exchanges, government sources said Saturday.
Takeshi Iwaya. (Kyodo)
The two sides are also considering holding a ministerial-level human and cultural exchange dialogue during the visit by Iwaya, who assumed his post in October, they said. The dialogue has not been held since it was first held in November 2019 in Tokyo.
The moves come after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during their first talks in Peru earlier this month to arrange reciprocal visits by their foreign ministers at an early date.
Iwaya is expected to urge China to steadily implement its promise to restart importing Japanese seafood after imposing a blanket ban over the release of treated radioactive water into the ocean from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. Prior to the ban, China was the biggest importer of Japanese seafood.
Other issues likely to be on the table include China’s increased military activities, the fatal stabbing of a Japanese schoolboy in Shenzhen and the detention of Japanese nationals over espionage allegations.
The Asian neighbors are also likely to reaffirm their cooperation in cultural and educational exchanges.
China said on Friday it will restart its unilateral visa-free arrangement for short-term Japanese visitors on Nov. 30, allowing stays of up to 30 days, a measure believed to be aimed at promoting tourism and trade amid a downturn in the world’s second-largest economy.
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