Japanese business leaders visit China amid strained ties

0

More than 200 Japanese business leaders began a six-day visit to China Monday to build closer economic ties, as strained diplomatic relations between the two countries showed little sign of improving.

China flag
China flag

The business mission headed by Fujio Cho, honorary chairman of Toyota Motor Corp, will hold talks with senior Chinese government officials on various issues, including mutual investments and air pollution in Asia’s largest economy.

The group has asked for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping or Premier Li Keqiang, according to the Tokyo-based Japan-China Economic Association, which organized the trip.

However, Beijing declined a similar request when the group visited China last year.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is also hoping to have a direct meeting with Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Beijing in November. The two have not done so since Abe took office in December 2012.

Relations have been badly frayed over territorial disputes and differing views of Japan’s wartime aggression in Asia.

“We’d like to contribute to creating an environment to enable a summit,” Sadayuki Sakakibara, head of the Japan Business Federation, said earlier this month.

 

GNA

Send your news stories to [email protected] Follow News Ghana on Google News

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here