Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping committed to building stronger ties in their first face-to-face talks in a year held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. The leaders discussed issues such as China’s ban on Japanese seafood and the case of a Japanese businessman detained in China, emphasizing the need to focus on common interests and reaffirm their strategic relationship of mutual benefit.
The historic rivals have clashed in recent years over territorial disputes, trade tensions, and Taiwan, among other issues. However, despite these challenges, Kishida and Xi confirmed their commitment to maintaining close communication at various levels and addressing shared concerns.
The meeting comes as China seeks to reaffirm relations with Japan, potentially driven by Tokyo’s close ties with the United States. On the sidelines of the APEC summit, Kishida also met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, and the three leaders held a brief trilateral meeting. The 30th APEC summit has brought together leaders from the 21-member forum to discuss various regional and global issues.
The talks between Kishida and Xi are seen as a positive step towards enhancing cooperation and addressing longstanding tensions between Japan and China.
Reporting by Mariko Katsumura, John Geddie, Kaori Kaneko, and Sakura Murakami in Tokyo and Ethan Wang in Beijing; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Stephen Coates and Raju Gopalakrishnan