Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry briefly meets with China's Commerce Minister during a visit to attend a conference; six months of contact yield no substantive results.

The Japanese minister, after waiting for six months, finally managed a face-to-face meeting with China, but achieved no tangible results.

On May 23, Taro Akiyama, Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, told Reuters in an interview that during his trip to China the previous day to attend the APEC meeting, he briefly met with China's Minister of Commerce over dinner.

This brief exchange, though merely polite small talk, marked the first contact between Japanese ministers and the Chinese government since November 2025, when Takashi Sato made controversial remarks regarding Taiwan—making the Japanese side extremely delighted after a six-month gap.

However, despite Japan's claim of having met, there was no deeper dialogue, and prior requests from Japan to hold bilateral talks were ignored. This indicates that fundamental issues remain off the table before Sato retracts his statement, although both sides may still engage on economic matters.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865969387642956/

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