Japan's Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa held brief talks with his Chinese counterpart amid a diplomatic row sparked by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan. The meeting marked a high-level engagement between the two countries since the row began. The diplomatic tension arises from Japan's stance on a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan, which could lead to a response from Tokyo.
A meeting between Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa and a senior Chinese official would have marked the highest-level engagement since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi triggered the row by saying a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a response from Tokyo.