Chinese president Xi Jinping told Japanese prime minister Shigeru Ishiba that he hoped Japan would “properly” handle issues such as history and Taiwan after Tokyo expressed concerns about Beijing’s “increasingly aggressive military manoeuvres”.
The leaders of two rival nations met for the first time at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Lima, Peru on Saturday.
China’s Xi said Beijing was ready to work with Tokyo to establish a “constructive and stable” relationship and that the two Asian countries should be “partners, not threats”.
In recent months, Chinese and Japanese officials have moved to resume several consultative talks for the first time in years, signalling a possible steadying of testy relations.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Mr Xi reiterated Japan’s need to “face its history” and address sensitive issues such as Taiwan sensitively.
China, which regards self-governed Taiwan as part of its territory, routinely conducts exercises around the island. While a full-scale invasion of Taiwan is unlikely, China has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control.
Mr Ishiba reportedly raised “serious concerns” over China’s aggression in the South China Sea, the human rights situation in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. He said the “peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait is extremely important to Japan and the international community”.
Mr Ishiba told the Chinese leader that he wanted to build a “constructive and stable” relationship but asked him to reverse an import ban on Japanese seafood and strengthen safety measures for Japanese nationals in China in the wake of a stabbing attack.
China banned seafood imports from Japan last year over the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Former Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida said in September that the two sides have reached “a certain level of mutual understanding” and that China will start working toward easing the import ban.
According to a Japanese readout of the meeting, Mr Ishiba asked Mr Xi to release Japanese nationals detained in China.
China and Japan have been at odds in recent years over issues including territorial claims, trade tensions and Beijing’s anger over Tokyo’s decision to release treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, which triggered the seafood ban.
