Japan Trade Minister Ryosei Akazawa will attend the APEC trade ministers’
meeting in Suzhou this week as Tokyo seeks to maintain dialogue with Beijing
despite strained ties over Taiwan. Attention is focused on whether Akazawa will
meet his Chinese counterpart, marking a potential first ministerial-level
exchange since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks last year suggesting
Japan could deploy its military if China used force against Taiwan. The dispute
has hurt business exchanges and prompted fresh Chinese export curbs and travel
warnings.