Taiwan Issue: ‘Hopes Japan will ‘properly handle’ history’ says Xi Jinping to Ishiba

Taiwan tussle: Chinese President Xi Jinping met Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for the first time during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, Peru, underlining the need for Japan to "properly handle" issues such as historical disputes and Taiwan, according to Reuters citing Chinese state media.  

Xi highlighted the importance of China and Japan working together to safeguard the global free trade system and maintain stable, efficient production and supply chains.  

Constructive and stable relationship with China

Ishiba, who assumed office in October, expressed his intention to build a "constructive and stable" relationship with China. However, he urged Xi to lift China's ban on Japanese seafood imports, imposed following Tokyo’s decision to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. Ishiba also requested stronger safety measures for Japanese nationals in China after recent fatal attacks and called for the release of Japanese citizens detained in China, as per a Japanese readout of the meeting.  

This encounter marks a notable step in the often tense relationship between the two Asian powers. Recent months have seen efforts to restart consultative talks after years of strained ties over territorial disputes, trade tensions, and Beijing's criticism of Japan’s handling of the Fukushima water release.  

Trump woees

The meeting comes shortly after the leaders of Japan, South Korea, and the United States held talks aimed at consolidating regional alliances ahead of Donald Trump’s incoming US presidency, which has raised concerns over potential shifts in global alliances.  

Meanwhile, anti-Japan sentiment in China remains a concern, fuelled by incidents such as the September stabbing death of a 10-year-old Japanese boy in Shenzhen and a June attack on a Japanese mother and child, which also resulted in the death of a Chinese woman who tried to protect them.  

(With Reuters inputs)