Japan’s Akazawa Says He Spoke Briefly With China Commerce Minister

Japanese Commerce Minister Ryosei Akazawa and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao had a brief conversation on Friday; This was the first ministerial exchange of words between the two countries since the diplomatic standoff began in November.

Akazawa said he approached Wang at a dinner attended by Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade chiefs in Suzhou, China. When he spoke to reporters on Saturday, he refused to say what they talked about.

“When I started walking towards the main table at the official dinner, Minister Wang was sitting there alone,” Akazawa said. “I approached him and had a short conversation.”

According to Japan’s foreign ministry, the informal meeting will be the first face-to-face interaction at the ministerial level between the two countries since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan angered Beijing. In November, Takaichi suggested that Japan could hypothetically deploy its military if China used force to seize Taiwan.

Akazawa said he did not have a chance to interact with his Taiwanese counterpart at the EC meeting.

Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Iwao Horii also said that he had a short meeting with Wang after 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. Horii said the meeting took place on a cruise ship after dinner.

A Chinese official familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to discuss confidential matters, denied that such conversations took place between Wang and Akazawa and Horii.

China’s Ministry of Commerce did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Japanese officials’ talks with Wang.

During discussions among EC trade chiefs, Akazawa said he raised concerns over export control measures on rare earths, an issue widely associated with such restrictions by China, host of this year’s EC.

“Japan has conveyed the message that arbitrary export control measures that differ significantly from international practices regarding rare earths and critical minerals could have a serious impact on global supply chains,” Akazawa said. “Exporting countries should take corrective measures.”

In October, before Takaichi’s remarks, Akazawa met with Wang on the sidelines of EC meetings in South Korea and raised similar concerns about China’s export controls on rare earths.

In the past, the EC had provided an environment in which the two countries could seek détente. In 2014, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Beijing on the sidelines of the EC leaders’ summit, as a sign of rapprochement after the territorial dispute.

With help from Colum Murphy.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to the text.