Japan, China to Explore Possibility of Dialogue

Beijing, Oct. 24 (Jiji Press)--Japan and China are expected to explore the possibility of dialogue between their leaders as a way to build trust as Chinese leader Xi Jinping secured his third term in power Sunday.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Xi last month exchanged messages to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties. But they have not held a meeting since talks over the phone in October last year.

Kishida in his September message reiterated his hopes to build a constructive and stable bilateral relationship. Xi in his message said that he attaches great importance to advancing Japan-China ties.

China apparently hopes to prevent further deterioration in ties with Japan amid a prolonged standoff between Beijing and Washington. Tokyo is aiming to maintain dialogue with Beijing even if there are issues between them, a Japanese diplomatic source said.

The two countries are exploring opportunities for talks between their leaders, including at a Group of 20 summit in Indonesia next month.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]