China urges Japan's concrete actions to put relations back on track

China and Japan both reaffirmed that they are cooperative partners rather than threats, with Beijing urging Tokyo that it should translate this consensus into concrete actions.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said "Japan should have a more positive and healthy attitude toward the growth of China, and stop spreading or echoing all kinds of 'China threat' or 'China economic recession' theories," during talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

Dating back to 2012, high-level exchanges between China and Japan came to a halt when Tokyo illegally nationalized China's Diaoyu Island in the East China Sea. It’s Kishida's first visit to China since he took office three years ago. It’s also the first visit of a Japanese foreign minister in four and a half years, which is expected to amend frosty ties with Beijing.

“Relations have gone through twists and turns in recent years due to reasons best known by Japan," Wang said, adding that China desires a healthy and stable relationship with Japan.

"We’ve seen signs of improvement in China-Japan relations. However, there is still a lack of mutual trust between the two sides. Kishida's visit is of positive significance to put the bilateral relations back on the track.”

Kishida commented on Japan's position of viewing China as a cooperative partner rather than threat, saying, “Japan is willing to join hands with China to strengthen mutual understanding and trust. We are ready to manage their problems and differences on the basis of reflecting upon the history and pursuing peaceful development.”