Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi asked Japan to correct its erroneous remarks on the Taiwan issue as a prerequisite for improving relations

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with former Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left). Beijing listed the "Taiwan issue" as an important issue for the improvement of Japan-China relations. (Picture taken from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Weibo)

As Japan's cross-party political and business delegation went to Beijing to seek a melting of the economic and trade ice, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi directly listed the Taiwan issue as a prerequisite for the repair of bilateral relations. When Wang Yi met with former Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, he made it clear that if Japan-China relations are to be re-normalized, Japan's most urgent task is to correct the Japanese leader's "erroneous remarks and actions" on the Taiwan issue.

Agence France-Presse reported that Takeshi Iwaya led about 50 representatives of the Japanese business community to visit Beijing in an effort to promote Japan-China trade affected by bilateral restrictions. Takeshi Iwaya is still an influential political figure in Japan's Liberal Democratic Party. Before his departure, he said that currently is a difficult period and it is even more necessary to find ways to improve relations through dialogue, and stressed that he will do everything he can to promote bilateral communication.

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This meeting comes at a time when relations between Japan and China are highly tense. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had previously made it clear that Japan might intervene if Taiwan was attacked militarily. This statement triggered a strong backlash from Beijing; China subsequently not only issued a travel warning to Japan, but bilateral economic and trade and high-level exchanges also came to a standstill.

Regarding the visit led by Takeshi Iwaya, the Japanese government deliberately kept a distance and set the tone as a spontaneous activity of private economic groups. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that the government is aware of the relevant itinerary, and pointed out that because there are still many unresolved issues and differences between Japan and China, maintaining communication channels at all levels and in all fields is still crucial.

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