China, Japan must work together to defend global trade, party official says on trip to Tokyo
- Politburo member Yang Jiechi tells Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe he hopes for ‘healthy, stable’ relations between the two nations
- Sides confirm plans are being made for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Osaka for the G20 summit in June
China and Japan should work together to defend multilateralism and the global trading system, a top Chinese diplomat said in Tokyo on Friday as trade tensions with the United States continue to rise.
Speaking in a meeting with Shotaro Yachi, Japan’s national security adviser, Yang Jiechi, a member of China’s Politburo, said the two countries “should strengthen coordination and collaboration under the multilateral mechanism and promote fair and reasonable global governance”, according to a Xinhua report.
In a separate meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Yang said China hoped for “healthy, stable” ties with its East Asian neighbour.
The pair also confirmed that preparations were being made for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Osaka next month for the Group of 20 summit – his first to the country as leader – but agreed a possible state visit by Xi in October had been put on hold due to scheduling difficulties, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.
Yang’s three-day visit to Japan comes amid rising tensions between the US and China, with both sides introducing new tariffs on the other’s goods. US President Donald Trump has also threatened to impose 25 per cent tariffs on US imports of cars and car parts, including those from Japan.
