Abe, outgoing Chinese ambassador meet over lunch

April 16, 2019

Tokyo--Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had lunch on Tuesday with outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Japan Cheng Yonghua.

Abe apparently expressed his appreciation for the efforts of Cheng, the longest-serving Chinese envoy to Japan, who has served in the position for more than nine years and will leave office in early May at the earliest.

The Chinese government is considering appointing Vice Foreign Minister Kong Xuanyou, who is well-versed in Japan and is fluent in Japanese, as Cheng's successor.

Abe is seeking to strengthen Japan-China relations ahead of a Group of 20 summit to be held in Osaka, western Japan, in late June. Jiji Press