Foreign Minister Taro Kono is planning to visit China, possibly in late March, to discuss bilateral cooperation on economic and other issues, diplomatic sources said Thursday, in a sign of improving relations between the two countries.
Kono is expected to meet with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other Chinese officials during a trip that could accelerate preparations for reciprocal visits by their leaders, the sources said. The two governments are looking to hold a fresh round of high-level economic talks on the occasion of Kono's visit.
Tokyo hopes Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Japan twice this year — first for the Group of 20 summit in Osaka in June and then as a state guest in the fall.