Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed Tuesday to resume within this month the bilateral exchange of people via short-term business trips and medium- to long-term business stays, which have been suspended due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The top diplomats of the two countries met in person in Tokyo. This is the first visit to Japan by a Chinese VIP since the administration of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was inaugurated in September.
"The stable relationship between the two countries is extremely important for the region and the international community," Motegi said at the beginning of the meeting. Wang responded by saying, "Cooperation in various fields should be deepened."
For medium- to long-term visitors, a 14-day quarantine will be imposed after they enter the counterpart country, but short-term visitors will be exempted from quarantine. This is Japan's fourth agreement on the resumption of business exchanges for both short- and medium- to long-term stays, following ones with Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.
The two foreign ministers also agreed to hold the Japan-China High-Level Economic Dialogue at an appropriate time next year to discuss a wide range of economic issues at the ministerial level. They will also set up a framework for talks on lifting restrictions on imports of Japanese food products.
Meanwhile, Motegi called for restraint on provocative activities by Chinese government ships around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. In a joint press conference after the meeting, Wang said, "If an issue arises, we will deal with it appropriately through communication and dialogue." The two governments are to hold high-level maritime talks next month.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
