A group of Japanese lawmakers seeking to patch up ties with China in Beijing looked to have made little headway this week, with one member saying there were "many heated exchanges".
Long-frosty ties have worsened since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested in November that Japan could intervene militarily in any conflict over Taiwan, which Beijing insists is its territory.
China in response warned its citizens against travel to Japan and imposed trade restrictions that have reportedly led to big drops in supplies of vital rare earth minerals to Japanese firms.
The delegation in Beijing this week comprised a member of Takaichi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and two opposition lawmakers including Shinichi Isa from the Centrist Reform Alliance.
"Both sides shared the understanding that this visit to China was about creating an atmosphere conducive to normalisation," Isa told local media in Tokyo on Thursday.
"(But) were many heated exchanges, and the Chinese side's tough stance was made clear," he added.
Senior Chinese official Lu Kang told them that "unless (Japanese) statements and perceptions concerning Taiwan change, China's stance will not change," Isa said.
Isa added though that the fact that the delegation travelled to China at all represented "a step forward from a situation in which there was no exchange at all".
Japanese media cited an unnamed source as saying that the Chinese side said they highly valued opportunities to hold face-to-face meetings.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular briefing on Thursday that authorities would release information on the meeting in due course.
"The root cause of the serious difficulties in bilateral relations lies in the erroneous remarks and actions on Taiwan and in the fields of military and security made by those running the Japanese government," Lin said, according to a transcript.
"Our position remains unchanged that China is an important neighbour and we will comprehensively promote strategic relationships of mutual interest and build constructive and stable relationships with China," Japanese government chief spokesman Minoru Kihara said Friday.
"It's precisely because that there are challenges and concerns in our relationships that we believe it's important to hold dialogue with China on various levels and closely communicate. We will continue to respond calmly and appropriately with our national interest in mind," Kihara told reporters.
AFP
