Japan, China Officials Chat Briefly in Beijing

Beijing, Sept. 12 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s parliamentary vice industry minister Toshiyuki Ochi has said that he held brief talks with Wang Hongzhi, head of China’s National Energy Administration, on the sidelines of a meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum’s energy ministers in Beijing. Speaking to reporters in the capital city of China on Friday, Ochi revealed that he had conversations with the Chinese government official on two occasions on the sidelines of the two-day meeting that ended on the day. “We exchanged views mainly on the energy situation, among other topics,” Ochi said. Japan-China relations have soured following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks last November on a potential Taiwan contingency. China has virtually refused to engage in intergovernmental dialogue with Japan, such as summits between their leaders. While this includes ministerial meetings, Japanese industry minister Ryosei Akazawa had a brief conversation with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao on the sidelines of an APEC meeting of trade ministers in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, in May this year. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]