Chinese foreign minister warns relations with Japan risk going backwards
- Wang Yi told his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa that the two countries have reached a ‘critical phase’
![Yoko Kamikawa and Wang Yi, during their last meeting in South Korea in November last year. Photo: Kyodo](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/26/7c10918b-b7e1-427f-84c4-a242cee0c455_348f9dd1.jpg?itok=9fcgcHpq&v=1722006200)
China-Japan relations are at a “critical stage” and risk going backwards, Beijing’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned on Friday.
He told his Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa that he hoped Tokyo would take an “objective and correct” view of China and pursue a “positive and rational” approach, according to the foreign ministry in Beijing.
“Currently, the China-Japan relationship is at a critical stage where if it fails to move forward it regresses. China’s policy towards Japan has always been stable and consistent,” said Wang, urging the two countries to work together to safeguard the political foundations of their relationship.
Japan’s foreign ministry said: “The two foreign ministers confirmed that they will continue to build up … persistent communication, including mutual visits by foreign ministers at each other’s invitation.”
The talks between the two, held on the sidelines of a meeting of Association of Southeast Nations foreign ministers in Laos, were their first since November.
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