Foreign and Military Affairs

Chinese, Japanese FMs meet on bilateral ties

(Xinhua/China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-29 09:53

HANOI - Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Friday held a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Seiji Maehara in Hanoi, on the sidelines of East Asian leaders' series of meetings.

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The two foreign ministers' discussion came after Japanese authorities detained a Chinese trawler captain in early September in the East China Sea, prompting a diplomatic standoff.

Strained ties between Japan and China are likely to improve at a fence-mending meeting between the premiers on Friday in Hanoi, on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, Japanese media reported.

China has yet to officially confirm that the meeting will take place.

Japan's Kyodo News Agency on Thursday quoted diplomatic sources from both sides as saying that Premier Wen Jiabao is to meet Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and issue a joint news communique.

The "rare" move by the two leaders in issuing an official document at a site that is not part of a formal visit will "show improvement of bilateral relations", the Kyodo report said.