Taiwan Foreign Minister’s Visit to Japan Miffs China

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung’s latest trip to Japan has put a damper on Sino-Japanese relations, with Beijing abruptly canceling a bilateral agriculture ministers’ meeting, Jiji Press and Japan Times reported.

The canceled talks were to follow a trilateral agriculture ministers’ meeting earlier in the week in Incheon, South Korea, that included Japan, China, and South Korea. (Photo: 外交部)

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi avoided specifics during a Friday news conference, saying only: “We understand that (the ministerial meeting) was not held due to scheduling conflicts of both sides.”

Chinese Agriculture Minister Han Jun had been scheduled to visit Japan to meet with his counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, on Tuesday.

The talks were to follow a trilateral agriculture ministers’ meeting earlier in the week in Incheon, South Korea, that included Japan, China, and South Korea.