Japan and China are towards to strenghten their bilateral relationship following the recent visit of Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida to China. However, Beijing is taking a cautious stand and has cited conditions for agreeing to improve the relationship.

Following his meeting with Kishida, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that China will not tolerate any kind of ambiguity regarding the importance of principal agreements between the two countries. He stated that Japan should strictly follow the one-China policy, which stipulates that Taiwan is part of China.

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He called on Tokyo to look at the bilateral ties between both nations from a creative viewpoint and should stop considering China as a threat.

Wang said both countries should adopt a win-win approach where they cooperate towards mutual welfare. He said that the Japanese government needs to abandon the old notion of a zero-sum game where one party wins at the expense of other.

Wang also stressed that both sides should respect each other's genuine concerns and interests, and ensure smooth communication.

Kishida's visit to China was his first since his assumption to office three years ago. This was also the first visit of a Japanese foreign minister to China in over four and a half years. Kishida's visit is significant because the coming year marks the 45^th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan political relationship. In two years, the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty will be 40 years old.

The Japanese foreign Minister stressed that China's development has opened up many opportunities for Japan. He said that both the countries should play a bigger role in the process of development of Asia and beyond by working side by side. Kishida called for China and Japan to collaborate on various issues such as youth exchanges, environment and economics. Japan is also likely to relax visa rules for Chinese visitors.

During his visit to China last week, Kishida also met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and State Councilar Yang Jiechi.

"We confirmed the importance of the Japan-China relationship through the series of talks with Minister Wang Yi [and other senior officials], and we agreed to make our efforts for further improvement,"  Kishida said about his meetings.

TagsJapan, china, Fumio Kishida, Wang Yi, Le Kequiang, Yang Jiechi