Security rivalry adds to ‘strategic distrust’ between China and Japan ahead of potential leaders meeting

Beijing may feel ‘it is being encircled’ as Tokyo forms more defence partnerships, analyst says

Fumio Kishida and Xi Jinping could hold talks during the Apec summit in Thailand, Kyodo reports

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Fumio Kishida attends a Nato summit in Madrid, Spain in June – the first Japanese prime minister to do so. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:30pm, 13 Nov 2022Updated: 9:37am, 14 Nov 2022

As Japan’s moves to boost defence partnerships with Western nations stoke tensions with China, their leaders could be about to hold their first face-to-face talks.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s name was not on an official list of leaders that Chinese President Xi Jinping was expected to meet at this week’s Group of 20 and Apec summit but Kishida said on Saturday that a meeting with Xi was still being coordinated.

A meeting is likely to take place during the Apec summit in Thailand, while one during G20 in Indonesia remains a possibility, according to Kyodo News.

The Kyodo report said Kishida was expected to convey to Xi the need for the two countries to build a “constructive and stable” relationship and raise concerns over Taiwan.

If the talks go ahead, it will be their first in-person meeting since Kishida took office in September last year.

The two leaders marked 50 years of diplomatic ties in September with an exchange of messages. Both affirmed their commitment to continue building bilateral ties, with Kishida calling for a “new future” in relations despite the “issues and challenges”.

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