Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hailed improved ties with Seoul and stressed the need for stable relations with Beijing during bilateral talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Seoul on Sunday, a day ahead of their first trilateral summit since 2019.

The Japanese leader¡¯s talks with Li ¡ª their first formal meeting since the Chinese premier took up his post in March last year ¡ª lasted nearly an hour and saw Kishida emphasize a ¡°mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests¡± as the two countries seek to build ¡°constructive and stable¡± ties.

While Li expressed his hopes that the two sides ¡°will manage their differences,¡± a number of divisive issues ¡ª from Fukushima wastewater to military moves near Taiwan ¡ª all but guarantee that ties continue to remain frosty.