• In his message, Xi said he sincerely feels sympathy for Kishida over his infection and wishes him an early recovery

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on Monday sent messages of sympathy to Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio, who has tested positive for COVID-19, state broadcaster China Central Television said.

In his message, Xi said he sincerely feels sympathy for Kishida over his infection and wishes him an early recovery.

Xi expressed a wish to work together with Kishida to build bilateral relations that meet the requirements of the new era, noting that the two countries mark 50 years this year since the normalization of their diplomatic relations.

Momentum for bilateral dialogue had waned temporarily, with a meeting between the Japanese and Chinese foreign ministers recently canceled over Taiwan issues.

But high-level officials agreed in last week’s meeting that their nations will continue having dialogue. The two countries are moving toward rebuilding their ties ahead of the 50th anniversary in September.

JIJI Press