China and Japan to Pursue Xi Jinping-Kishida Summit at September and November International Conferences

According to a report by Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun on the 12th, the governments of China and Japan are seeking a summit meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the major Group of Twenty (G20) summit to be held in India in September. There is also discussion of holding a China-Japan summit in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled in the United States in November.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands on November 17 last year in Bangkok, Thailand, ahead of the first China-Japan summit in three years.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Prime Minister Kishida and President Xi agreed during their summit in Bangkok, Thailand, last November to strengthen communication between the two countries through security dialogues. Since then, ministerial-level talks have continued, but no summit-level dialogue has taken place.

At the ASEAN-related summit meetings to be held in Indonesia in September, discussions are also underway to promote a meeting between Prime Minister Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Marking the 45th anniversary of the signing of the China-Japan Peace and Friendship Treaty, Japan has been seeking opportunities for high-level dialogue between the two countries. China is also interpreted to feel the need to stabilize relations with Japan amid the power struggle between the United States and China.