Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Sunday he met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Myanmar and discussed measures to improve relations strained by disputes over territory and the perception of wartime history.
Kishida declined to reveal details of the Saturday meeting — the first by the two foreign ministers since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned to power in December 2012. However, Kishida is believed to have sought Wang's cooperation in setting up talks between Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, set to take place in November in Beijing.
"I exchanged views (with Wang) on how to improve relations. I met him and spoke with him for a long time," Kishida told reporters on the sidelines of regional meetings in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw. "With this (meeting) as a starting point, we would like to promote relations with China."