Overview
- Japan’s trade minister Ryosei Akazawa said he did not hold formal talks with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao but approached Wang for a brief private conversation and declined to disclose its content.
- Akazawa attended the APEC ministerial in Suzhou as the most senior Japanese official to visit China since the diplomatic row began and said exporters should rectify arbitrary rare‑earth controls.
- Beijing has cut shipments of several heavy rare earths and related materials to Japan for months, a move that can tighten supplies for electric vehicles, advanced electronics and some defense technologies.
- A Japanese trade ministry official would not confirm whether Tokyo had formally requested bilateral talks, highlighting the opaque, cautious diplomacy between the two governments.
- The dispute traces to comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan, and the political sensitivity around Taiwan has made high‑level engagement fragile and increased the use of economic measures as leverage.