Chinese, Japanese FMs to meet on bilateral, Northeast Asia issues

Chinese and Japanese foreign ministers will meet on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting to discuss China-Japan relations and regional issues in Northeast Asia, official sources said Tuesday.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman's office, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing will hold bilateral consultations with his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso in Kuala Lumpur during the seventh foreign ministers' meeting between the ASEAN and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (10+3) from July 26 to 28.

"They will discuss China-Japan relations and regional issues, including the Northeast Asian situation," sources with the Foreign Ministry said.

The meeting between Li and Aso is expected to take place on Thursday on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting, sources said.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua Monday, the ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong said the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula would be a focal point of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting.

The ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Source: Xinhua