TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed Tuesday to resume business travel between their countries by the end of this month.

Motegi took up the issue of intrusions by Chinese government ships into Japanese waters off the Senkaku Islands of the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa and urged China to take “proactive action” over the matter. China claims the Japanese-administered islands, called Diaoyu in the country.

According to Japanese sources, the two ministers did not discuss a planned visit to Japan by Chinese President Xi Jinping, which has been put off due to the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Wang became the first key Chinese government official to visit Japan since Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took office in September. Wang and Suga are scheduled to hold talks Wednesday evening.

Motegi stressed to Wang that the “stable Japan-China relations are extremely important to the region and the international community.”

Wang replied that the two countries should make necessary contributions to promote the peace, stability and development of the region and the world.

China is now set to become the fourth country, after Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam, with which Japan allows the restart of short-term business trips and travel by middle- to long-term stayers, including expatriate staff.

After the meeting, Motegi told a joint news conference that he hopes the resumption of travel will help revitalize the Japanese and Chinese economies and promote mutual understanding between the two countries.

Wang said that taking infectious disease measures strictly is the premise of the resumption. Japan is seeing a resurgence of coronavirus infections.

On the Senkaku Islands, Wang said Beijing will continue to protect its sovereignty.

At their meeting, the two ministers exchanged views on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal and an initiative to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region led by Japan. Xi recently signaled his country’s readiness to join the TPP bloc.

Motegi expressed concerns about the situations in Hong Kong, the Xinjiang Uighur autonomous region and the South China Sea. He also proposed that Beijing mend its ties with Washington, strained under US President Donald Trump.

Motegi also asked China to remove its import ban on Japanese food, with the 10th anniversary of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami drawing near. The two ministers agreed to accelerate bilateral talks on the matter.

Wang is the first senior Chinese government official who set foot in Japan since Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, did so in February this year.

Wang is scheduled to move on to South Korea on Wednesday.

After returning home, Wang will be quarantined under Chinese rules.

JIJI Press