Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held talks with China's top foreign policy official Yang Jiechi on Friday during which Abe stressed the need to make sufficient preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Japan in early April.
Abe and Yang, a member of the Chinese Communist Party's Political Bureau, met at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo for about 30 minutes. During their meeting, Abe possibly indicated that the spread of the new coronavirus could affect Xi's visit to Japan.
"President Xi's state visit is extremely important for the Japan-China relationship," Abe said at the beginning of the talks. "To have a successful [visit], meticulous preparations must be made."
With the viral infection spreading in both countries, preparations for Xi's visit to Japan have been delayed. If this continues, consideration is likely to be given to postponing the visit.
Yang expressed an intent to continue preparing for Xi's visit. "A state visit is very significant," he said. "Both [Japan and China] have stated their stance to make adequate preparations."
Referring to the viral outbreak in the two countries, Abe affirmed Japan's cooperation to combat the outbreak, saying, "Especially during difficult times such as this, Japan and China must work together to overcome it."
Ahead of this meeting, Yang held separate talks with Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Shigeru Kitamura, secretary general of the National Security Secretariat.
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