Japan’s Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa confirmed Saturday that he engaged in an informal conversation with China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao during international meetings, though he emphasized no official bilateral discussions took place between the two nations.
The Japanese official made his comments to media representatives following his participation in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ministerial sessions held in Suzhou, located in eastern China.
This interaction represents the most significant contact at the senior official level between Japan and China since tensions between the countries escalated in November.
“Before the dinner began on Friday, I approached Minister Wang and had a brief conversation,” Akazawa stated, explaining that he couldn’t provide specifics since the exchange involved diplomatic matters.
According to Kyodo news agency, Akazawa had expressed hope on Friday that he might have the chance to address various topics with Wang should the circumstances allow.
When asked whether Japan had made an official request for bilateral meetings, a trade ministry representative chose not to provide comment.
Any formal meeting between Akazawa and his Chinese counterpart would have represented the most substantial diplomatic engagement since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sparked the current dispute by stating that a theoretical Chinese military action against Taiwan might prompt a Japanese response.
Following those remarks, Beijing implemented various countermeasures, including advising Chinese nationals against traveling to Japan and restricting exports of certain rare earth materials essential for manufacturing electric vehicles, military equipment and other goods.
While participating in the APEC ministerial sessions, Akazawa urged countries that export materials to address unreasonable restrictions on rare earth exports, though he refrained from identifying specific nations, according to the ministry representative.
China has blocked Japan’s access to multiple heavy rare earth elements and other critical materials for a minimum of four months, timing that aligns with the diplomatic disagreement and indicates Beijing may be leveraging its mineral resources for diplomatic purposes.
