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(Bloomberg) — Japanese Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa said it would be natural to seek communication with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao when they both attend an international conference starting Friday, as Tokyo aims to engage with China amid strained ties.
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“Since Commerce Minister Wang Wentao is the chair, it is only natural to seek communication,” Akazawa told reporters ahead of the start of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting of trade chiefs in Suzhou, China. “If we have the opportunity to meet again, I would like to have a thorough discussion on various topics.”
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There haven’t been any ministerial-level meetings between Japan and China since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Japan could hypothetically deploy its military if China used force to try to seize Taiwan, in remarks that angered Beijing, which claimed it was a change in policy.
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Akazawa said Friday that Japan’s fundamental stance toward China hasn’t changed since the time of late premier Shinzo Abe.
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“Fundamentally, since Prime Minister Abe’s time, Japan and China have both declared a strategic mutually beneficial relationship, and I understand that the relationship aimed at promoting the development of both nations remains unchanged,” Akazawa said. “Therefore, I intend to proceed in accordance with that framework.”
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Last October, before Takaichi’s remarks, Akazawa met with Wang on the sidelines of APEC meetings in South Korea, the host nation at the time, and raised concerns over China’s export controls on rare earths.
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This time the APEC gathering is being held over two days in Suzhou, amid an energy crisis resulting from the conflict in Iran. China is the current chair of APEC.
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“The international environment is extremely challenging,” he said. “We must not impose unfair export restrictions, but rather aim to realize free trade based on the rule of law, and ensure that all nations can prosper.”
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In the past, APEC has provided a venue for the two nations to seek detente. In late 2014, Abe and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Beijing on the sidelines of the APEC leaders summit in a display of rapprochement following a territorial dispute.
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