Japan trade minister may visit China for APEC meeting
發佈日期: 2026-04-25 20:04
TVB News
Japanese media report that Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa is planning to visit Jiangsu in China next month to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC trade ministers' meeting.
That's poised to mark the first official visit to China by a Japanese cabinet member since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Taiwan remarks late last year.
According to Kyodo News, the Japanese government is planning to send Akazawa Ryosei to the APEC meeting scheduled for May 20 to 23 in Jiangsu.
If confirmed, he would be the first cabinet-level official to visit China after bilateral relations deteriorated, following Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan.
Reportedly, Akazawa is expected to seek opportunities to hold separate meetings with senior Chinese officials during the trip.
China is hosting this year's APEC trade ministers' meeting, with the theme: "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together."
Kyodo News reports that the meeting is expected to reaffirm the importance of Asia's multilateral trading system, while participants may also discuss China's export controls
on dual-use goods.
Dual-use items are goods or tech that can be used for both civilian and military applications.
Relations between China and Japan worsened after Takaichi said in November that a contingency involving Taiwan could pose a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan.
She has since repeatedly expressed openness to dialogue with China.
Beijing has stressed meaningful dialogue must be based on mutual respect and adherence to existing agreements.
It has urged Japan to abide by the four political documents between the two countries, and retract Taiwan-related remarks.
Kyodo News also noted increased engagement from Japan's business community with China with several Japanese business associations planning visits to Chinese cities, including Shanghai, in the coming months.
In June, former House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono will lead a delegation from the Japan Association for the Promotion of International Trade to visit Beijing.
