Japanese Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao had a brief chat on Friday, the first ministerial-level exchange of words between the two nations since a diplomatic standoff started in November.
Akazawa said he approached Wang at a dinner of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s trade chiefs in Suzhou, China. He declined to say what they discussed when he spoke to reporters on Saturday.
“At the official dinner, as I began walking toward the main table, Minister Wang was sitting there alone,” Akazawa said. “I approached him and had a brief conversation with him.”
The informal talk would be the first ministerial-level, face-to-face interaction between the two nations since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks over Taiwan infuriated Beijing, according to Japan’s foreign ministry. In November, Takaichi suggested that Japan could hypothetically deploy its military if China used force to try to seize Taiwan.
Akazawa said he didn’t have a chance to interact with his Taiwanese counterpart at the EC gathering.
Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Iwao Horii said he also had a brief talk with Wang following the dinner on Friday. He said he raised the issue of a recent knife attack in Shanghai that injured two Japanese citizens, and asked Beijing to ensure the safety of Japan’s nationals in China. The conversation took place on a cruise ship following the dinner, Horii said.
A Chinese official who is familiar with the matter and asked for anonymity to discuss confidential issues denied any such chats took place between Wang and either Akazawa and Horii.
China’s Commerce Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the Japanese officials’ chats with Wang.
During discussions among EC trade chiefs, Akazawa said he raised concerns over export control measures over rare earths, an issue widely associated with such curbs by China, this year’s EC host.
“Japan conveyed the message that arbitrary export control measures — which differ significantly from the international practices regarding rare earths and critical minerals — could have a severe impact on global supply chains,” Akazawa said. “Exporting countries should take corrective action.”
In October, before Takaichi’s remarks, Akazawa met with Wang on the sidelines of EC meetings in South Korea, and raised similar concerns over China’s export controls on rare earths.
In the past, EC has provided a venue for the two nations to seek detente. In 2014, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Beijing on the sidelines of the EC leaders summit in a display of rapprochement following a territorial dispute.
With assistance from Colum Murphy.
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