Premier Li Keqiang met with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Jan 28. Currently, China-Japan ties have maintained sound momentum for improvement, he said.

“We have noticed recent positive comments of the Japanese side on relations with China,” Premier Li told the top Japanese diplomat.

“However, China-Japan relations are still confronted with uncertainties,” Premier Li added.

Premier Li urged both sides to cherish the sound momentum for improvement of ties.

“China-Japan relations are not only of great significance to both countries, but also to the region and the world,” he said.

He asked the Japanese side to learn lessons from history and face up to the future, and to create a sound environment for expanding win-win cooperation, restarting relevant dialogue mechanisms and boosting regional cooperation.

Kono is on an official visit to China from Jan 27 to 28. During his visit, he has also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

This is Kono’s first visit to China as foreign minister and the first by any Japanese foreign minister since 2016.