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| The Japanese national flag flies at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.(File photo by=Kyodo) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] The foreign ministers of Japan and China are set to discuss at a meeting Tuesday the easing of coronavirus pandemic-necessitated travel restrictions and other issues, possibly including repeated intrusions by Chinese vessels into Japanese territorial waters in the East China Sea.
"There are various issues of concern between Japan and China and it is important they are resolved one by one through high-level meetings," Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told a Tokyo press conference ahead of the meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. "I want to have a candid exchange of views on regional and global issues, including cooperation over the novel coronavirus," Motegi said.
The neighbors have been looking to cooperate to boost recovery in their domestic economies after both were hard-hit by the pandemic. Japan and China were among 15 Asia-Pacific countries to sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the first free trade agreement to include both. To support corporate activities, Motegi said he and Wang will discuss relaxing requirements for reciprocal business travel, as the two sides are in late-stage negotiations on the matter. There remains a hurdle in setting a timeframe for the decision, however, a recent resurgence in coronavirus infections in Japan has complicated the situation, according to people familiar with the matter.
