Japan Trade Minister Holds Brief Talks with Chinese Counterpart Amid Diplomatic Row

AFP

Japan’s Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa.

Japan’s Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa said on Saturday that no formal bilateral talks had taken place with China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, although the two officials briefly spoke ahead of a dinner on Friday evening.

Akazawa made the remarks to reporters after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ministerial meetings in Suzhou.

He is the most senior Japanese official to visit China since a diplomatic dispute between the two countries emerged in November.

"Before the dinner began on ⁠Friday, I approached Minister Wang and had a brief conversation," Akazawa said, adding he could not disclose details because it was a diplomatic exchange.

He said on Friday he hoped to discuss various issues with Wang if the opportunity arose, according to Kyodo news agency.

A meeting between Japan’s Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa and a senior Chinese official would have marked the highest-level engagement between the two countries since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi triggered the diplomatic row by stating that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could prompt a response from Tokyo.

Since then, Beijing has introduced a series of retaliatory measures, including advising its citizens against travelling to Japan and restricting exports of certain rare earth materials essential for the production of electric vehicles, military equipment, and other high-tech goods.

During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meeting, Akazawa called on exporting countries to address what he described as arbitrary controls on rare earth exports, although he did not name any specific nation, according to a ministry official.

China has reportedly cut Japan off from several heavy rare earths and related materials for at least four months, amid the ongoing dispute between the two countries, in a move widely seen as leveraging its dominance in critical mineral supply chains for diplomatic influence.

Source: Reuters



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