Japanese and Chinese Foreign Ministers Scheduled to Attend ASEAN Meetings in Manila

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is scheduled to visit Manila this week for Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings, where his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi will also attend, The Japan Times reported. An ongoing diplomatic row over remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in November may prevent formal meetings this time.

Takaichi said Japan could hypothetically intervene militarily in a crisis over Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.

Wang Yi previously served as China’s ambassador to Japan and is a fluent Japanese speaker. Motegi held the foreign minister position from 2019 to 2021 and developed a relationship with Wang Yi during that period. The venue still offers the opportunity for some interaction on the sidelines. A photograph shows Wang Yi meeting Motegi in Tokyo in November 2020.