China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday talked up "high-level exchanges" in a call with Japanese counterpart Toshimitsu Motegi, hinting at a potential meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japan's new premier, Sanae Takaichi.
Xi and Takaichi will attend this week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, offering a window for a meeting on neutral ground between the Chinese leader and a Japanese prime minister known for hawkish views towards China.
Takaichi met with U.S. President Donald Trump three weeks ago, who welcomed her pledge to accelerate a military buildup and signed a series of deals on trade and rare earths.
Beijing will be wary of the U.S. and Japan forging closer ties under Takaichi, analysts say, seeing it as a potential shift in the balance of power across the Asia-Pacific region.
Be that as it may, "China has noticed several positive signals coming out of Japan's new cabinet," Wang said, without giving any further details.
"High-level exchanges are very important to China-Japan relations," he added.
Beijing said on Friday that Xi would meet several heads of state at the summit - which Trump is expected to skip - but only specified South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
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