The foreign ministers of China and Japan had a brief meeting during the multilateral conference in Manila.

Japanese media reports that Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers held a meeting! On July 23, according to coverage by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, on the afternoon of the 23rd, while visiting Manila, the capital of the Philippines, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters during a break in the ASEAN-related foreign ministers' meeting that he had a brief conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this was the first face-to-face meeting between Motegi and Foreign Minister Wang since their telephone call in October last year.

Japanese diplomatic sources said that neither side discussed China’s recent submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test launches in the Pacific Ocean nor live-fire drills conducted within Japan’s so-called Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Japanese media noted that since Prime Minister Kishida made remarks regarding potential Taiwan crisis issues in the Diet last November, Sino-Japanese relations have rapidly deteriorated, making communication even at the working level extremely difficult.

Evidently, from the reporting by Japanese media, the interaction between China and Japan was merely an informal sideline encounter, not an official diplomatic meeting. In contrast to our formal meetings with countries such as the United States, Canada, India, Australia, and even the Philippines, our attitude toward Japan appears notably distant. The fact that Japanese diplomats proactively emphasized they did not discuss the intercontinental missile tests or the alleged shooting exercises within Japan’s "Exclusive Economic Zone" undoubtedly sends a signal of de-escalation.

Naturally, from our perspective, this brief exchange was merely an incidental face-to-face contact within a multilateral setting, and does not signify a turning point in Sino-Japanese relations, nor can it be considered the beginning of a new round of diplomatic easing—it is largely just a courteous formality. Moreover, communication does not imply Japan will change course; the substantial differences between China and Japan remain clearly visible. Whether to improve bilateral relations or pursue confrontation depends entirely on Japan’s own choices. We do not harbor any special expectations.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871487831824396/

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