Japan, China foreign ministers agree to promote stable ties
The latest talks followed the lifting in late June of Beijing's blanket ban on Japanese seafood imports, which Tokyo had repeatedly called for since it was imposed in 2023 in response to the discharge of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
At the outset of the meeting, Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi expressed Beijing's eagerness to continue "the healthy and stable development" of bilateral ties.
Iwaya told Wang that he welcomes the "progress on some contentious issues" made by the two Asian neighbors and hopes further bilateral cooperation will advance a "strategic and mutually beneficial" relationship.
"Amid major changes in the international situation, Japan and China, which share responsibilities to the international community, are expected to deepen communication and fulfill their respective roles," Iwaya said. The two ministers last met in Tokyo in March.
During the meeting on the sidelines of a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations-related gatherings in Kuala Lumpur, Iwaya was expected to seek the resumption by China of Japanese beef imports, suspended since 2001 due to an outbreak of mad cow disease.
He was also likely to urge China to ease its export restrictions on critical minerals, including rare earth elements used in semiconductors.
Earlier in the day, Iwaya held talks with his counterparts from Vietnam and New Zealand -- Bui Thanh Son and Winston Peters -- and agreed to boost partnerships between Japan and their countries.
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