The Japanese trade minister, Ryosei Akazawa, revealed that he had a brief exchange with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Suzhou, China. This interaction signifies the first ministerial contact between the two countries since their recent diplomatic discord. The strained relations between China and Japan escalated last November when the Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, hinted at the possibility of Japan deploying its defense forces in a Taiwan conflict.
Iwao Horii, Senior Vice Foreign Minister, also engaged with Wang separately during the forum, as reported by Japan’s Kyodo News Agency. Horii emphasized the importance of China ensuring the safety of Japanese citizens in the country. Following a recent knife attack in Shanghai involving Japanese and Chinese individuals, Japan has expressed openness to dialogue with China. Tokyo aims to arrange a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Takaichi at the upcoming APEC summit in November to mend strained relations.
Akazawa reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to maintaining strategic and mutually beneficial relations with China. China, in response to the tensions, has imposed stricter export controls on dual-use items, including rare earths. Akazawa, post the APEC session, called for the removal of these export restrictions on rare earths, citing potential disruptions to global supply chains and non-compliance with international norms. Taiwan, a fellow APEC member, sent its trade representative to the forum, but Japanese officials did not engage with the representative.
