China wants stronger ties with Japan, Premier Li Keqiang tells Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
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- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kishida will be at Bali G20 summit and Apec talks in Bangkok, but no meeting has been officially confirmed yet
Both Beijing and Tokyo were committed to strengthening political, trade and economic ties, as well as people-to-people exchanges, Li said, as the two leaders met in the Cambodian capital on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit that is also hosting leaders from the US, China, South Korea and Japan.
Kishida, who was elected prime minister in October last year, said Japan and China should pursue “friendly coexistence”, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
The meeting had been long delayed over Covid-19 concerns that saw senior Chinese leaders suspend in-person diplomacy as well as deepening tensions in recent years as the US – a close Japanese ally – hardened its stance on China.
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