Amid warming ties, Japan’s top diplomat to visit China

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) — Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya is set to visit China on Wednesday in an indication of warming bilateral ties.

Iwaya will pay a official single-day trip to Beijing, said Mao Ning, spokeswoman of China’s Foreign Ministry, on Tuesday.

Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, will host Iwaya for talks, followed by a meeting of a high-level consultation mechanism on people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two maritime neighbors.

This would be Iwaya’s first trip to China since being appointed to his post in last month.

The trip also comes in the wake of slow progress in bilateral relations between the two economic giants.

Tensions have lingered over Japan’s close ties with the US and its release of treated nuclear water.

Tokyo raised concerns with Beijing over attacks on Japanese citizens in China. At least two such incidents have been reported, though China denies the attacks were racial in nature.