Jan. 28 (UPI) — Japan and China agreed Sunday to resume holding reciprocal visits by their leaders as soon as possible.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono in Beijing on the 40th anniversary of the China-Japan Treaty of Peace and Friendship.
Wang called on the two countries to “remain true to their original aspirations, learn from experiences and promote the continuous improvement of the relationship” in celebrating the treaty’s anniversary.
China, Japan, and South Korea have began rotating responsibilities to host annual meetings trilateral in 2008, but they were suspended in 2013 and 2014 over maritime disputes between Japan and China regarding a group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea.
“The Japanese side hopes to work together with China to meet each other halfway, and jointly promote further improvement and advancement of bilateral ties,” Kono said.
The uninhabited islets, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, are administered by Tokyo but also claimed by Beijing, where they are known as the Diaoyu Islands.
The two foreign ministers agreed to make efforts for the early implementation of a Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism in the East China Sea.
“There are concerns between the two countries as we are neighbors,” Kono said. “But as the world’s second and third largest economies…we will manage them in a way that would not hurt friendly Japan-China ties.”
Kono and Wang also discussed North Korea‘s ballistic missile and nuclear ambitions, as Japan urged China to exercise its leverage over North Korea to force a change in policy.
Both sides agreed to continue to work together toward denuclearizing North Korea and added they won’t accept Pyongyang as a nuclear power.
