Tokyo: A senior Chinese government official has secretly visited Japan for talks with Japanese officials aimed at improving bilateral relations damaged by an ongoing territorial row, a report said on Tuesday.
The talks involving a high-ranking official from the Chinese foreign ministry`s Asian division were thought to have been held in early October, Japanese news agency Jiji Press reported from Beijing quoting Chinese government sources.
A high-ranking official from the Japanese foreign ministry attended the meeting, the report said.
A Japanese foreign ministry official declined comment on the content of the report, saying: "Japan and China have been making various exchanges at various levels."
The Tokyo-Beijing ties took a nosedive in September last year over the ownership of the Japan-controlled Senkaku islands, which China also claims and calls the Diaoyus.
The row over the islands in the East China Sea has led to warnings of a possible armed confrontation.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe managed a brief encounter and shook the hand of Chinese President Xi Jinping last week on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Indonesia. But China rejected a formal sit-down meeting between them due to the island dispute.
Abe has not held formal talks with Chinese and South Korean leaders since taking office last December. Tokyo also has a dispute with Seoul over a group of South Korea-controlled isles.
The legacy of Japan`s 20th century wartime aggression has also been souring Tokyo`s ties with the neighbours.
