China and Japan confirmed their readiness to return relations to the path of development.

China and Japan confirmed their readiness to contribute to the return of bilateral relations to the path of healthy and stable development, the Chinese Foreign Ministry reported on Friday.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Japanese National Security Council Secretary Takeo Akiba held consultations in Beijing on Thursday as part of the China-Japan High-Level Political Dialogue Mechanism.

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A statement on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry following the negotiations indicated that Wang Yi outlined China’s principled position on current Sino-Japanese relations and the path to their improvement and development.

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“The parties reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the principles set out in the four China-Japan political documents and their desire to return bilateral relations to the path of healthy and stable development. The parties also agreed to maintain contacts on this issue,” the statement said.

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In addition, Wang Yi expressed China’s concerns about a number of issues, including the release of water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean and the Taiwan issue, and stressed that Japan should implement its stated hope for an early improvement in Sino-Japanese relations through real action.