Chinese Foreign Minister Wang to visit Japan from Sun.

April 11, 2018

Beijing- Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Japan for three days from Sunday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

Wang will hold talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Sunday to pave the way for a trilateral summit among Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul that is likely to be held in Japan in May.

He will also attend bilateral high-level economic dialogue on Monday, set to resume after an eight-year break. The dialogue on trade and investment issues was launched in 2007, but it has been suspended since the third session in August 2010.

During the visit, Wang, a former Chinese ambassador to Japan well versed in Japan issues, may also hold talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Wang has been tough on Tokyo since he became foreign minister in 2013, due chiefly to heightened bilateral tensions over the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The islands are claimed by China.

He will visit Japan for the first time since he attended a meeting with the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers in Tokyo in August 2016.

With this year marking the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of the bilateral peace and friendship treaty, Japan and China have made moves to improve the bilateral relationship.

China hopes that Wang's trip will help boost momentum for improving bilateral relations, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a press conference. Jiji Press