MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2023) Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, have held a fifty-minute telephone call, during which they have agreed to maintain dialogue between the countries "at all levels" and cooperate in various areas, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
"Minister Hayashi stated that he would like to cooperate with Minister Qin in order to realize the broad direction of building a 'constructive and stable relationship,' which was an important shared recognition between the two leaders. Minister Qin expressed the same view... The two ministers concurred on continuing close communication at all levels, including at the summit level," a statement read.
During a telephone call that took place on February 2, the top diplomats decided to improve ties in various areas, including the green economy and health care, the "people-to-people exchanges," business environment and economic activities, as well as at the summit level. They also discussed a number of international issues.
"The two ministers exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine, and confirmed continued close cooperation on the response to North Korea, including the immediate resolution of the abductions issue. The ministers also confirmed to strengthen communication in the United Nations Security Council," the statement added.
At the same time, the Japanese foreign minister expressed serious concerns in relation to the situation around the Senkaku Islands, China's military activities near Japan and its cooperation with Russia, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
At the end of the negotiations, the Chinese top diplomat invited his Japanese counterpart to visit Beijing, with specific dates to be agreed later, Hayashi told a press briefing on Friday.
The diplomatic relations between China and Japan are complicated by a territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands, which went under the control of the United States after World War 2 and were passed on to Japan in 1972. China rejects Japan's sovereignty over the islands. Japan believes that China's territorial claims over the islands followed the discovery of valuable minerals in their shelf in the 1970s.
