Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in the Chinese capital Beijing on Wednesday as part of a visit aimed at addressing mutual challenges and concerns between the two regional powers.

This is Iwaya’s first visit to China since taking office last October.

In remarks ahead of his visit, Iwaya stressed that relations with China were “one of the most important bilateral relations for Japan”, noting that “there is great potential for cooperation between the two countries, but challenges remain”.

The Japanese minister added that both Tokyo and Beijing have a ‘great responsibility to ensure peace and stability in the region’.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Tuesday that China was ‘willing to work with Japan to promote dialogue and communication, focusing on common interests’. The aim is to ‘properly handle differences’ and build a ‘constructive and stable’ relationship in line with the requirements of the new era, she said.

Mao said China attaches great importance to the Japanese foreign minister’s visit, stressing that Beijing looks forward to strengthening bilateral ties to serve the common interests of the two countries.