Japanese envoy Akitaka Saiki in Beijing to discuss summit

Japanese Vice-Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki arrived in Beijing yesterday for discussions with senior Chinese officials about a high-level summit between top leaders of the two nations.

Saiki's two day-trip is the latest effort by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to improve Sino-Japanese relations that have been soured by a bitter territorial row over the Diaoyu Islands, known as Senkakus in Japan, in the East China Sea.

Saiki and his Chinese counterpart Zhang Yesui are expected to discuss the prospects of a summit between Abe and President Xi Jinping .

Abe told reporters yesterday that Japan intended "to promote unconditional, frank dialogue between the foreign ministers and leaders of the two nations. Kyodo said Abe wants to tell the Chinese side that he hoped to meet Xi at the sidelines of G20 summit in Russia in September.

On Sunday, Abe's adviser Isao Iijima said he learned from meeting with people close to the Chinese leadership that Abe could soon hold a summit with Xi, but Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a statement yesterday that Iijima had not conducted any official activity nor contacted any Chinese officials, even though he had applied for a Chinese visa.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also said yesterday that no schedule concerning the summit had been fixed.

Abe has extended goodwill gestures to Beijing following Japan's upper house election on July 21, which his ruling bloc won in a decisive victory.