BEIJING - Senior officials of Japan and China held talks on Tuesday in Beijing, Japanese government sources said, amid escalating tensions over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent remarks on Taiwan, which triggered a sharp deterioration of bilateral ties.
Masaaki Kanai, head of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, met with his counterpart Liu Jinsong. Through their talks, Tokyo aims to calm the diplomatic spat that has begun to affect tourism, education and entertainment sectors between the two neighboring countries.
Beijing lodged a protest after Takaichi, a China hawk known for her pro-Taiwan stance, told a parliamentary committee on Nov. 7 that a military attack on the self-ruled island could be a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, indicating a potential response involving the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
China, which regards the democratic island as a renegade province to be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary, has demanded Takaichi retract her remarks. It maintains that the Taiwan issue is purely an "internal affair."
In talks with Liu, Kanai was expected to stress that Takaichi has not changed Japan's position as stated in a 1972 joint communique, the Japanese government sources said.
In the document, Tokyo recognized the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government of China, switching its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan.
Communist-led China and democratic Taiwan have been governed separately since they split in 1949 following a civil war.
Kanai was also likely to raise the issue of a social media post by Chinese Consul General Xue Jian in Osaka, who, in apparent anger over Takaichi's remarks, threatened to "cut a dirty neck without a moment of hesitation."
In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tuesday Japan is "open to all kinds of dialogue" with China.
His comments came a day after the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Premier Li Qiang does not plan to meet with Takaichi in South Africa, where the two-day Group of 20 leaders' summit is set to take place from Saturday.
The Chinese government urged its citizens last Friday to avoid visiting Japan and on Sunday called on those planning to study in Japan to carefully reconsider, citing safety risks.
Chinese media reported Monday on the postponement of two Japanese film releases in China, originally scheduled for later this week and early December.