Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday that keeping a dialogue with Chinese President Xi Jinping is important in maintaining "constructive" bilateral ties and cooperative relations despite persisting challenges between the neighbors.
Speaking in a parliamentary session, however, Kishida said no specific date has been fixed for his summit meeting with Xi. No in-person talks have been held since Kishida became prime minister last October.
China is a major trading partner for Japan, but their relations have been marred over a group of disputed islets in the East China Sea. Along with its longtime ally, the United States and other like-minded nations, Japan is concerned about Beijing's assertive moves backed by its economic and military might.