Japanese FM to visit China, hold economic talks from Saturday

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Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono will pay an official visit to China from April 13 to 15 at the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

The pair will co-chair the 5th China-Japan High-Level Economic Dialogue and attend the opening ceremony of the "China-Japan Youth Exchange Promotion Year," according to the spokesperson.

While answering the question regarding China's expectations for the Japanese foreign minister's visit, Lu said China and Japan are important neighbors with improving bilateral ties, and the Chinese side attaches great importance to Kono's visit.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe witness the signing of more than 10 cooperation agreements on politics, innovation, finance, customs and sports in Beijing, October 26, 2018. /Xinhua photo

Wang will hold talks with Kono during the Japanese foreign minister's stay in China, and the two sides will exchange views on international and regional issues of common concern, Lu said.

Officials from the two countries will also discuss macroeconomic policy, bilateral economic and trade relations, third-party market cooperation and innovation cooperation during the high-level economic dialogue.

During Kono's visit, China stands ready to work with Japan to implement the important consensus reached by the two leaders, and will jointly plan for the next phase of exchanges and cooperation to promote the stable development of China-Japan relations, Lu said.