Suga meets with top Chinese Diplomat Yang

February 29, 2020

Tokyo--Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga held talks with top Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Tokyo on Saturday.

Suga and Yang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, discussed responses to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, which is spreading in China, Japan and many other areas of the world.

They are also believed to have exchanged views on a state visit to Japan by Chinese President Xi Jinping expected for early April.

Yang met with Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, earlier on Saturday. They confirmed cooperation between the two countries to prevent the coronavirus from spreading further.

Yang said that China plans to provide 5,000 protective suits and 100,000 face masks to Japan, where masks are in short supply amid the continuing outbreak of the virus originating in China.

In response, Nikai expressed gratitude and said he plans to visit China after the viral outbreak is contained. Jiji Press