BEIJING - Former Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters Tuesday that China has a positive view of promoting economic and private-sector exchanges with Japan after meeting with senior Chinese officials in a bid to improve strained bilateral ties.
Iwaya, who heads a Japanese business delegation including corporate executives, also said he urged Beijing to speed up Japan-bound rare-earth export procedures. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng told the group there is no problem with shipping rare earths for civilian purposes to Japan, Iwaya said.
The nearly 60-member group of Japan's Association for the Promotion of International Trade is on a four-day visit to China through Wednesday. By treating the business delegation favorably, Beijing is apparently seeking to encourage the government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to work toward a thaw in the bilateral relationship.
Beijing was infuriated by Takaichi's parliamentary remarks last November that suggested Japan could act in support of its security ally, the United States, in the event of an attack on the self-ruled democratic island claimed by China.
China has since unleashed a series of political and economic reprisals against Japan, including export restrictions on rare earths needed to manufacture various high-tech products.
Iwaya said Tuesday marked 54 years since Japan and China normalized diplomatic relations and that it is important for the two governments to "go back to the starting point." He added that, as head of the private-sector group, he would support such efforts by the two governments.
"Unfortunately, the state-to-state relationship sometimes faces severe diplomatic situations. But it is all the more important to hold dialogue in such circumstances," the former minister said.
Vice Premier He told the Japanese delegation that Beijing welcomes Japanese firms developing and sharing market opportunities in the country, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
He said China and Japan are "important trade and economic partners" and expressed hope that the business group would "adhere to the correct historical direction" and "play a greater role" in advancing bilateral economic and trade cooperation, Xinhua added.
On Monday, Iwaya held talks with China's top diplomat, Wang Yi.
Wang told Iwaya that bilateral ties currently face a severe situation and need to be "normalized." He also urged Japan to "correct the erroneous words and deeds" of its leader on the Taiwan issue as soon as possible, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The meeting was the first between Wang and a Japanese politician to be made public by Beijing since the diplomatic feud soured ties between the two Asian neighbors.
In July, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters in Manila that he and Wang briefly spoke about bilateral ties on the sidelines of a regional ministerial meeting, but the Chinese ministry denied that.
In Tokyo, Motegi pledged to promote "strategic and mutually beneficial" as well as "constructive and stable" ties with China, saying at a press conference Tuesday that nongovernmental and private-sector exchanges are also vital.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara separately said "multi-layered" communication on a wide range of topics is especially important when there are outstanding issues and different views between the two countries.
