Japanese foreign minister set to visit China after Xi Jinping and Fumio Kishida vow to work to develop relationship

Kishida says both sides will work to arrange Yoshimasa Hayashi’s visit, but adds he raised ‘serious concerns’ in his first meeting with Xi as prime minister

Xi earlier said the importance of the relationship between the two countries ‘had not changed and will not change’

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Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at the start of their meeting in Bangkok. Photo: AP

Dewey Simin BangkokandKawala Xiein Hong Kong

Published: 7:58pm, 17 Nov 2022Updated: 12:12am, 18 Nov 2022

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is expected to visit China after the leaders of the two nations vowed to build up the relationship between the two countries in their first meeting since Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took office last year.

Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bangkok on Thursday as they sought to map out a new direction for their countries’ troubled relationship.

The 36-minute talk was the first time in three years that Xi had met a Japanese prime minister.

After the talks, Kishida told reporters that both nations had agreed to work on arrangements for Hayashi’s visit and to boost communications on security matters.

Kishida said he and Xi also discussed the situation in Ukraine, affirming their mutual opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.

He also said he had raised “serious concerns” about Chinese military activities around the disputed Japanese-controlled Diaoyu Islands, also known as the Senkakus.