Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Beijing on Friday for the first leg of an eight-day trip that will also take him to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

On Saturday, he will hold separate talks with counterpart Wang Yi, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to seek help from the world's second-largest economy in responding to the growing uncertainties in the global economy.

The government believes his visit will advance bilateral ties and help to lay the groundwork for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping to hold a summit, though bilateral relations remain tense over territorial disputes in the the South China Sea.

China's fast-paced construction of artificial islands and outposts for possible military use have escalated tensions in the South China Sea, where Beijing is in territorial disputes with smaller Asian claimants such as Vietnam and the Philippines.

Following the trip to China, Kishida will visit Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to express Japan's continued commitment to those nations' economic development.