Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to ease the historical dispute between China and Japan and regional tensions. He expressed hope that Japan will properly handle sensitive issues like Taiwan along with the history of the two countries. The British news agency Reuters reported on Saturday (November 16) about the country's state-owned media.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum conference in Lima, Peru. During the meeting, Xi Jinping called for the protection of the global trade system, stable production and the maintenance of supply chains.
Prime Minister Ishiba said that he wants to build a constructive and stable relationship with China. However, he expressed concern over recent knife attacks on Japanese citizens in China and requested appropriate action.
According to a statement issued by Japan, Ishiba also demanded the release of Japanese citizens imprisoned in China during the meeting.
It was Ishiba's first meeting with Xi since taking office last October.
Earlier on Friday, the leaders of Japan, South Korea and the United States held a meeting. They want to strengthen trilateral diplomatic relations under the leadership of Donald Trump.
Chinese and Japanese officials have held several meetings recently. This indicates some stability in the relationship between the two countries.
However, disputes between China and Japan persist. Tokyo and Beijing are at loggerheads over territorial rights, trade tensions and the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. Following this, China has imposed a ban on Japanese seafood.
In addition, anti-Japanese sentiment in China is also increasing alarmingly. Recently, a 10-year-old Japanese schoolboy was stabbed to death in Shenzhen, China. In June, a Chinese woman was killed trying to save a Japanese woman and her child.
It should be noted that while the current meetings create a possibility of de-escalating tensions between the two countries, many obstacles remain in the way of restoring mutual trust and long-term stability.
