The head of a Japanese opposition party met with senior Chinese officials Friday in Beijing, in an effort to stabilize relations between the two neighboring countries that have been marred by a host of problems.
Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the tiny opposition Social Democratic Party, held talks with Wang Huning, who is ranked No. 4 in the ruling Chinese Communist Party's top leadership, as well as Liu Jianchao, head of the party's International Liaison Department.
Fukushima's visit to China marks the first trip to the country by an SDP leader since 2017. She stressed in her meetings with the senior officials that her party has maintained a long-term friendly relationship with China's ruling party.
Wang said at the outset of the talks with the SDP leader that Beijing is willing to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation and constructively manage differences.
Sino-Japanese relations have been strained by the discharge of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, China's detention of Japanese nationals over espionage allegations and a territorial row over the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.
