Japan and China are expected to explore the possibility of dialogue between their leaders as a way to build trust as Chinese leader Xi Jinping secured his third term in power Sunday. 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Xi last month exchanged messages to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties. But they have not held a meeting since talks over the phone in October last year.

Kishida in his September message reiterated his hopes to build a constructive and stable bilateral relationship. Xi in his message said that he attaches great importance to advancing Japan-China ties.

China apparently hopes to prevent further deterioration in ties with Japan amid a prolonged standoff between Beijing and Washington. Tokyo is aiming to maintain dialogue with Beijing even if there are issues between them, a Japanese diplomatic source said.

The two countries are exploring opportunities for talks between their leaders, including at a Group of 20 summit in Indonesia next month.

China is keeping a close eye on Japan’s response to tensions over Taiwan, and on any moves by Tokyo to strengthen cooperation with its neighbors.

A meeting between Japanese and Chinese foreign ministers was canceled at the last minute, after foreign chiefs from Japan and other Group of Seven nations issued a statement criticizing Beijing’s military exercises around Taiwan in August.

The Chinese side was also vocal over Kishida’s trip to Australia over the weekend.

The Global Times, a tabloid affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper, said that “Tokyo and Canberra are blindly dancing to the U.S. tune without their own diplomatic ideas,” apparently referring to the Quad framework involving Japan, the United States, Australia and India.

JIJI Press