Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and former top Chinese diplomat Tang Jiaxuan on Monday pledged to enhance bilateral relations amid escalating tensions over sovereignty issues in the East China Sea.

"I hope to move bilateral relations forward by expanding the positive aspects of the relationship while dealing with mutual concerns," Kishida said at the beginning of the meeting with Tang, president of the China-Japan Friendship Association.

Tang, who came to Tokyo to attend the Beijing-Japan Forum, said he hopes that ideas from experts attending the meeting could help warm chilled ties. The private framework is to discuss strategic mutual trust, understanding and economic cooperation between China and Japan. Tang was scheduled to give the forum's keynote speech Tuesday.